Lost
by Kaori Minamino
Summary: Sequel to Home. Kurogane must be found, along with a few other things. I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything copyrighted that may or may not appear in this fic. Chapter 21, Home Again.
1. It Begins

Hello all! So, here is the sequel to Home! As you may (or may not recall), Kaori was rescued, everyone got home, Mayumi got told off, and Kurogane escaped from Spirit World!! I finally typed out the First Chapter!!! ...But then I changed my mind on how I want to write it...So, I'm gonna play with it a bit, and hopefully you'll like the outcome. If not, I'll scrap it and go back to my original plan.

This one should have some relationship bonding, some tension, a bit less action than the last, and possibly an opening for another sequel.

Ok, maybe not, but I like my characters, and maybe I'll have spin off stories.

Anywho, onward!!

**Chapter 1**

"What's that smell?"

"Is that smoke?"

"It's coming from the chemistry labs. Is it another experiment?"

Moments later, the sound of a fire alarm cut through the air, followed closely by shrill screaming and running students. The door to the last chemistry lab door opened and smoke poured out as the sprinklers kicked in and flooded the experiment remains. A dozen students ran out, while the final three figures came out calmly, their white lab coats drenched and with a few chemical stains on them.

"Shuichi, I thought you were the smart one," the first figure said, coughing as it leaned against a wall.

"I told the teacher there was an error in the lab report," the second replied, coughing lightly. "She didn't believe me and told me to go on with the experiment."

"Remind me never to put that much potassium into anything ever again," the final figure said, trying to shake off the water. "The fire was a pretty color though, before it hit the walls and the cabinets and stuff."

"The Sprinkler system should control it," Shuichi said. "Ayame, are you alright?"

"Yeah, peachy," the girl coughed with a smile. "How about you Kaori?"

"Yeah," she said, making a small flame in her hand and igniting it quickly. "Not too wet, so I'll live. Now what?"

"We should evacuate the building for the firemen to come and clear the site," Shuichi said, turning and leading the way down the hall. The two girls followed behind, opening their lab coats and revealing the matching uniforms of Meiou Academy. As the three came outside, a group of girls sighed with relief that their beloved Shuichi was alive and well. Another group sighed in defeat as Kaori, too, emerged unharmed.

Kaori couldn't help but grin as she saw Mayumi, looking the most distraught of them all. Things had been rather quiet lately, and Kaori almost felt bad for her. Before she could dwell on it though, a figure with blue hair behind her caught her attention. Whether it was the blue hair or the jumping up and down, Kaori couldn't be sure, but she couldn't help but chuckle and wave.

Botan cut through the students and smiled at the three before looking more serious. "Well, I have some good news and some bad news," she said.

"Let's begin with the bad news," Kurama said.

"We can't track Kurogane any longer. It seems that somehow his energy is either being completely masked or he used it all. He hasn't used any since his escape, not even to heal himself."

"So he got away?" Ayame asked. "That does suck."

"Not entirely," Botan said with a finger up. "The portal he used to get out of Spirit World took him to the woods between here and Genkai's temple. There's no way he could get past there, because her wards would keep him from entering."

"So he's somewhere in the city, or the woods," Kaori said. Botan nodded. "What's the good news?"

"Well, because of the damages to the school, you'll be able to have a bit of a break to pan out and find him," Botan said, grin coming back again.

"Botan," Kurama interrupted. "I don't believe there is enough damage to warrant an extended absence."

"Nonsense!" Botan said with a larger smile. As if on cue, one of the science labs exploded. Students screamed and scattered, Botan leading Kaori, Kurama, and Ayame towards the park.

"Please tell me why Koenma felt the need to have an explosion at the school," Kurama asked, catching up to Botan as she ran ahead.

"Well, the more damage done, the longer absence you will be allotted," she said, turning a corner and dodging a mail box. "The small fire actually saved us the trouble of evacuating the school before the explosion."

Kaori chuckled as she and Ayame jogged behind the other two. "So what do we have to do?" she asked.

"Ayame will stay here and come up with an alibi for you and Kurama. She'll also be on the lookout for odd things in town while you two are searching for Kurogane."

"Wait, I'm alone?!" Ayame piped up from next to Kaori. "That's not fair!"

"Oh don't worry," Botan said, pausing at the park gate along with the other three. "Hiei's going to stay nearby with you. His eye should be able to watch most of the city, so you'll be perfectly safe."

"Not from him!" Ayame shouted. "He hates me!"

"Oh don't be silly," Kaori said with a wave of his hand. "He doesn't hate anyone. He's just a poor little puppy looking for attention."

"Is slitting your throat a cry for attention?"

Kaori and Ayame both screamed, turning to see Hiei standing behind them with a smirk. Kurama chuckled, while Botan looked confused. "Oh, come on Kurama, Kaori. Lord Koenma is waiting for you two."

"Yes, do run along. I can't cry for your attention if your still here," Hiei said, turning and walking off.

"Bye Aya!" Kaori called, following Botan and Kurama into a waiting portal. Ayame sighed, and turned to follow Hiei while the others went to their briefing with Koenma.

Upon entering his office, they saw him stamping away. "Hello Lord Koenma!" Kaori said with a small salute. He looked up and back down in a flash.

"Good, Kaori, Kurama," he said, almost to himself. The large doors opened again to reveal Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Hey Koenma, mind explaining why the school got set on fire?" Yusuke asked with his arms crossed. Kuwabara waved to Kaori and Kurama, both of whom smiled in return.

"Yusuke, you're school is on fire because I needed to give you all an extended absence," Koenma said. He sat down his stamp and looked at the faces that watched him in return. After a sigh and folding his hands, he continued. "As you know, Kurogane has escaped the Spirit World. We have no fix on his energy, so he is either hiding it well, depleted it, or is dead."

"But then where's his soul?" Kaori asked. Koenma lifted a finger.

"That is why we doubt his passin," he explained. "There is a slim chance his soul would've gotten lost in the human world, since it is not where he belongs. However, one of the ferry girls would've sensed it and retrieved him."

"So you believe he is hiding," Kurama said. Koenma nodded.

"The four of you will pan out and search for him in the area between Genkai's land and the City. Hiei is in the city and will alert you if his energy turns up in the city."

"Do you have any idea how much land that is to cover?!" Yusuke asked. "How are we going to go through that without missing anything?"

"There are two kitsunes with you," Koenma said matter-of-factly. "They can use the plant life to search for him. You and Kuwabara will be paired with Kaori and Kurama as the search."

"Why do you even need us if the two of them are the ones sweeping the land?" Kuwabara asked. Kaori turned to him with a smile.

"Panning out our energy into every plant without actually using them as weapons takes quite a bit of energy," she explained. "If we do come across Kurogane, having you two as protection would be greatly appreciated." Kurama nodded in agreement.

"Body guards to the rescue," Yusuke sighed. "Alright, let's get this mission over with." He turned and led the group out of Koenma's office.

"Good luck you guys!" Botan called after them. As the door shut she sighed and turned back to Koenma who was rubbing his temples. "Don't worry so much, Lord Koenma. Kurogane did apologize for his participation in Kaori's case."

"He's not the one I'm worried about," Koenma sighed. Once again, he picked up his stamp and continued working on paperwork.

A man opened his eyes with a moan. At first he saw a dark wood ceiling above him, light throwing shadows up along the light walls. Turning his head to the side, he saw a screen door partially open that led to a bathroom and a chair holding a calm looking woman.

He blinked, looking at her again. She had long black hair, dark brown eyes that concealed emotion, and a smile that looked genuine, though it did not reach her eyes. "Glad to see you're awake," she said, her voice a soft alto. "I was a bit worried you wouldn't make it."

"You need not worry about me," he said, slowly sitting up. A blanket slid off his chest to reveal a well toned chest with a few bandages. He was relieved to see his pants were still on.

"Those wounds told another story," she said with a larger smile. Her eyes held a bit of humor, as if he was a child defending his courage. "So what is your name, sir?" He smiled at her, before looking around the room curiously. It was a bedroom with large windows allowing the evening light to shine in through the trees. A bookshelf sat in one corner overflowing with material.

"Sir?"

"Hm?" Now her eyes looked slightly annoyed, and he couldn't help an apologetic smile.

"What is your name?" The thoughtful look returned to his eyes as he glanced back out the window.

"I don't know…"


	2. Found

And so, the story continues! Sorry's it's taken a while. My sister moved, and we got to move furniture on days I was actually home...so I wasn't home...yeah...I've been busy ok!! I'm sorry!! The next update will hopefully come sooner. If not, I'll make it extra long.

Also, the X Games are going on. Beautiful stuff, ladies and gentlemen. Beautiful. ONWARD WITH MY NOT OWNING ANYTHING!! Save OC's. Yay!

**Chapter 2**

"This is so boring!" Yusuke groaned, stumbling over another tree branch. It was one of many that had tripped him up or that he had to climb over. The trees were huge, and, not surprisingly, so were their roots. What made it worse was the fact that Kaori was walking with her eyes closed and had not stumbled once. It was like the roots either moved for her or she knew them all by heart.

"Stupid trees, stupid roots, stupid mission," Yusuke grumbled again. Kaori chuckled.

"It's not the trees' fault we're out here," she said. "You have to relax and calm down. Besides, you're distracting them."

"Like they have feelings!" Yusuke said moments before walking into a low set branch. "I feel like they're out to get me!"

"They are."

Yusuke stopped and Kaori paused, opening her eyes and smiling. "I'm putting my energy in them, and they're more alive than they would be. You're complaining and stumbling and entertaining them, though you're being rude. They're asking for more energy so they can continue to push you."

Yusuke sighed defeated. It was sometimes too obvious that she and Kurama were both kitsunes. "What am I supposed to do then?"

"Apologize."

"Come again?" Then at the same time, she seemed quite a bit different.

"Oh come on!" Kaori said with a smile. "Say you're sorry and hug one. They'll appreciate it." Yusuke stared at her aghast. She was only messing with him. There was no way she wanted him to hug a tree. He knew he should've gone with Kurama and left Kuwabara to hug some stupid trees.

"Fine." With a few more grumbled words, Yusuke stiffly hugged a tree and said 'sorry.' He turned back to see Kaori half doubled over with laughter, covering her mouth. "What?!"

"I like you," she said, finally catching her breath. "You're so trusting." Yusuke stared in shock as he saw the glint in her eyes.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" he accused, pointing in anger. Kaori waved it off and walked along ahead.

"Not entirely. They're communicating with me in a way, but they could care less about you. I was just having fun making you stumble around like a drunkard."

"QUIT IT!"

"Fine, fine, sheesh." Yusuke looked at the ground and noticed that a path formed as roots dug into the ground and out of his way. He followed along behind Kaori with a grin, enjoying the stroll through the woods a lot more now. That'll show the forest. No one messes with Yusuke Urameshi.

"So, did you find anything yet?" he asked casually. Kaori chuckled again. She opened her mouth to answer and then paused mid-step. "What's up?"

"There's a…hole," Kaori said, squinting with her eyes closed.

"Like a dead patch?" Kaori shook her head. "A big rock?" Another no. "Well, what is it?"

"I can't get my energy into it. Like, I can feel the trees around it, but when I try to get a root into it, it stops my energy and the tree will not enter." Kaori opened her eyes, looking confused. "There's no demon energy around it, but I can't sense if there's any inside."

"That definitely counts as something strange," Yusuke muttered, pulling out his communicator. After a moment, Kuwabara's face appeared.

"What's up Urameshi?" he asked.

"Kaori found a weird spot," he said seriously. "We're gonna check it out. How long will it take you to get here?"

"Five minutes," Kurama said from over Kuwabara's shoulder. "I can feel Kaori's mark on the trees, it will be easy to find you."

"Good to know," Yusuke said before closing the communicator. "Come on, let's check it out." Kaori nodded and walked at a slightly slower pace. She stopped a few feet from a clearing that contained house and a few gardens. It seemed completely isolated, as if it had been there alone for centuries.

Yusuke took a step in front of Kaori and tried to feel…anything. There were no energies, yet he could feel a presence a few inches in front of him. With a deep breath he took a step forward and felt a bit of his energy get tugged. He tensed, but after a moment, it slackened, leaving him only slightly weaker than he had been.

With a grin her turned back to Kaori. "See? No problem." She however stared at him with wider eyes. "What?"

"I can't sense you anymore," she said. "You just…faded away."

"Well I'm right here looking at you," Yusuke said. He looked around him, seeing some smoke coming out of a chimney. "I think someone is in there. Come on, let's see if they know what's up." He began walking before a shriek of pain made him spin around.

Kaori had attempted to follow him, but upon hitting the voided space, she felt her energy get nearly yanked from her body and be dispersed. She fell backwards with a scream as her knees buckle slightly.

"Kaori?" Yusuke asked, turning back.

"Kaori!" Kurama called, coming through the trees and kneeling by her side.

"Ow…" she said, shuddering slightly.

"What happened?" Kuwabara asked, walking up to Yusuke without even a flinch.

"There's some sort of barrier," Yusuke said, looking at him slightly confused.

"Where?" Kurama asked, helping Kaori to her feet. Yusuke and Kaori both pointed towards each other, then looked towards Kuwabara, who walked back to Kurama's side. "It must only affect demons then."

"Yeah, I felt it mess with some of my energy, but I guess I made it cause of my spirit energy," Yusuke said. "I feel it tugging a bit still, but nothing nodded.

"You and Kuwabara go check out that house and try to figure out what is creating that barrier," Kurama said. "I'll call Koenma and let him know that we found something."

"Right, Kuwabara," Yusuke said, turning and walking towards the home. Kuawabara followed, looking around suspiciously. Everything seemed to calm and serene, but it was too perfect. A normal looking house with normal looking doors and a normal looking garden in a normal looking forest surrounding be a demon inhibiting bubble? Something was off.

Yusuke stepped up on the porch and pounded on the door. "Anybody in there?" he called. "I got a few questions and I don't feel like coming back later." Movement could be heard from inside, and the door slid open.

"Yes?" a woman asked. She was relatively tall, perhaps Kurama's height, with long black here and piercing brown eyes. She didn't look pleased to be interrupted, and Yusuke found himself taking a small step back before straightening up again.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am, but we need to know if you've noticed anything strange going on around your home," he said.

"Have you seen anyone or anything that isn't quite normal?" Kuwabara piped in. The lady looked at the pair slightly confused.

"Well, no," she said, looking down and thinking with a slight shake of the head. "There's usually the occasional hiker, a few animals that stray through. I usually take any company I can get." Here she looked back up and smiled. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Yusuke said with a shrug. "Have you seen anyone lately?"

"Is there someone in particular you're looking for?" she asked, her eyes staying cool while the smile stayed on her face. Kuwabara felt a small chill go down his back when her gaze moved to him. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"A man by the name of Kurogane," Yusuke said, folding his arms.

"No, I don't know that name," she replied, folding her arms as well. "I don't even know you're names."

"Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara," Yusuke said, looking slightly angered.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Yusuke," the woman said. "And Kuwabara. My name is Masuyo. Now, if there is nothing else I can do for you, would you mind telling me what all the trouble is? I don't see why two young men like yourselves are wandering around the woods looking for mysteries."

"We're looking for a friend of ours," Kuwabara said, dropping his gaze. "Kurogane. He was out here and went missing. He could be injured, and we were hoping he came by here."

Yusuke was surprised that it was Kuwabara who came up with the reason instead of Kurama. He was equally surprised when shock passed through Masuyo's eyes before they were replaced with sympathy.

"Is there a problem?"

Masuyo turned and smiled to a person behind her. "No, no problem," she said. "I'm talking to a couple of kids who are looking for a friend of theirs."

The man behind her walked up and looked at Yusuke and Kuwabara. Both gasped and took a step back as his eyes passed over the pair. "What is his name? Perhaps he is in town or stopped by a neighbor's house."

Masuyo chuckled. "I don't have any neighbors for miles, except for that old master Genkai back near the mountains," she mused. She turned back to Yusuke and Kuwabara who continued to stare at her companion. "Now, what did you say his name was again?"

Both boys were shocked, staring past her. "Kurogane," they said in unison.


	3. Fear

Hello guys. Sorry it's been so long. I was gonna update sooner! I swear! Then the internet crashed for a week, and I got writer's block and I have so much crap to do before going to school, like seeing my friends before they go off to school and the Marine Corps (semper fi!), and I just haven't been able to get this up!

But it's here, and it's done, ish, and it's a tad bit longer than it was gonna be cause I did promise that, if I was late, I'd make it longer. The problem is, I needed to cut it off here, or you'd be waiting til next week for the rest. But I love you! And I'm sorry! And I want to start adopting my boyfriend's sister's friends. They're amazing and 6 years younger than me. I'd trade a puppy for them.

But he said no...

ANYWAY! On to the story. I only own the OCs and the plot, but let me know what you think.

**Chapter 3**

Kaori sighed and sat down on a rock. Yusuke and Kuwabara must be talking to the owner of the house, because it was taking way too long to just look around. She couldn't see them once they rounded the house to the front door, and she didn't feel like pushing for the edge of that barrier to try and see what was going on. However, not being able to sense the two was a little bit of a hindrance.

"Do not worry about them," Kurama said with a chuckle. He sat on the ground just in front of her stone so he could rest an arm on her knees. "I'm sure they'll be able to handle themselves."

"But we don't know what's going on in there," Kaori sighed. "We can't sense them, we can't sense anyone else, Kurogane is missing and he's supposed to be on our side, and this bubble tried to suck the life out of me!"

Kurama chuckled lightly. "Not the worst situation we've been in," he said, placing a hand on her knee. "Relax. I've called Koenma, and he's monitoring us right now."

Kaori sighed again and put her hand on Kurama's. "I'm amazed at how much faith you have in everyone," she said with a smile.

"That's not entirely true. I still don't trust Kurogane's motives." Kaori blinked, looking incredulously at Kurama. He himself looked away from her and set his chin on her lap. "I just…do not believe that he can just switch sides so easily without keeping his main objective."

"And what was that?" Kaori asked, stroking the top of his head.

"You."

Kaori paused mid-stroke and stared at Kurama. Kurama continued to stare off, not bringing his head or his eyes up to look at Kaori. "I know you trust him, and Koenma decided that it wasn't his fault, but he escaped from Spirit World when he was told that there wouldn't be major punishment, and he's been hiding out for over a week."

"And what are you worried about?" Kaori asked, continuing the rub the disgruntled kitsune's hair.

Kurama sighed and closed his eyes before he continued. "That it was all a ploy to get you again."

"You are more paranoid than Hiei is about Yukina finding out that he's her brother." Kurama chuckled and looked up at Kaori who smiled down on him. "I mean, don't you have any faith in me whatsoever?"

"What do you mean?"

Kaori stood, making Kurama sit back now that his rest was gone. "HELLOO!!" she said, waving her arms. "I'm like, this super awesome, fire wielding, psycho powerful kitsune from Super Makai!! I can like, take over the world with my flaming powers and resurrect…dead…things…" Kaori paused, slightly confused, which made Kurama laugh at her again. "Anyway, I'm more powerful 'than you can ever imagine' or something, and you think some little ol' lightening kitsune is coming between me and the guy I want?"

She plopped on the ground in front of him and poked him in his forehead. "Is that blobby thing working in there? Is there an on switch?" Kurama kept laughing, unable to control himself, as Kaori began poking through his hair. "Seed, seed, oooh, a rose!! Seed…seed…lint…seed…do you comb this stuff?!"

"Yes," Kurama inserted. Kaori mock rolled her eyes.

"Forgive me for questioning you, oh mighty one."

"You're forgiven." Kaori stared at Kurama before chuckling along with him.

"GUYS!!" Both turned to see Kuwabara running towards them. "We found Kurogane!"

"Where?" Kurama asked, the first to his feet. Kuwabara pointed back towards the house.

"He's inside with this lady who lives here," Kuwabara continued. "He doesn't remember who he is, and there's no energy coming from him at all! It's like he's a human or something!"

"But he couldn't mask his energy to gain entrance," Kurama said pensively. "The barrier would try to suck all the energy out, leaving a demon completely empty and cause their death."

"Well he sure wasn't a zombie!" Kuwabara said. "You gotta call Koenma and tell him what we found."

"Why didn't you?" Kaori asked, still looking for Yusuke.

"Our communicators don't work inside this barrier thing," Kuwabara said. "I can't figure out why, since it's not like there's demon energy inside. Maybe we're just out of range."

"Where's Yusuke?" Kurama asked.

"She invited us inside for tea. I told her I had to make a call, and that I'd be right back."

"She?" Kaori asked.

"The lady who lives here. She's kinda creepy, but she found Kurogane and took care of him for the past couple days."

"Find out what you can," Kurama said. "Kaori and I will talk to Koenma and find out what he wants us to do." Kuwabara nodded before turning around and heading back towards the house. Kurama looked to Kaori, who gave him a small smile before she pulled out her communicator. Within a few seconds, Koenma's face appeared.

"Kaori!" He exclaimed. "What's going on? Who were you talking to?"

"Kuwabara," Kaori said, slightly confused. "I thought you were monitoring us."

"I'm monitoring you and Kurama as we speak," he said. "Yusuke and Kuwabara are nowhere to be seen."

"They're at a home that is the center of a sphere," Kurama explained over Kaori's shoulder. "It repels demon energy, which is why Kaori and I could not enter. Kuwabara said that his communicator is inhibited as well."

"Hm," Koenma thought pensively. "What is something like that doing in the Human World?"

"There's more," Kurama slipped in. Koenma looked up, slightly confused.

"Kurogane is inside, but he has amnesia and no energy," Kaori said. "Yusuke and Kuwabara are trying to figure out what's going on. We'll keep you posted."

"I need you two back here as soon as possible," Koenma said. "I've done some background checking on Kurogane, and things have just gotten a bit more complicated."

"What do you mean by complicated?" Kurama asked.

"It seems that this may not have been a simple escape," Koenma said, messing around with some papers on his desk. "I want you two to look over the footage and the information. It seems that there is more to him than was immediately apparent."

Kurama looked over to Kaori who just sighed. "We'll be there soon," Kurama said. Koenma nodded before closing the link. Kurama looked back at Kaori, who looked back towards the house. "How do you feel about him now?"

"I don't know," Kaori said as she turned to head back towards Genkai's. "It just doesn't feel right. How can a demon escape from Spirit World, get amnesia, and forget that he is a demon, losing all of his energy and surviving to enter into a bubble that tries to kill demons on contact."

"Hopefully we'll figure it all out when we get to back to Koenma's," Kurama said.

"You're not going anywhere."

Both kitsune's froze and turned around, spotting a young man walking up behind him. His brown eyes were cold, calculating, but a smirk graced his face. Kurama tensed up immediately. This man had no energy whatsoever.

"Who are you?" Kaori asked, tensing up as well. The young man stood up tall, proud, with the smirk never leaving his face.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said. "What are two demons doing out here in the Human World? At my sister's home, no less."

"What are you, that you know we're demons?" Kurama asked in return, stepping in front of Kaori protectively.

"I am the maker of that barrier, the one you tried to cross," the stranger said. "I am Shigure, and I have a different kind of energy. My spirit energy is more refined, pure, and it reacts quite wonderfully with that demon energy of yours." Shigure held up his hands, forming a ball of pure white energy. "Let's play a quick game of catch, hm?" He hurled the energy at Kurama and Kaori. Both dodged rather easily, but were startled when two more orbs flew at them both.

"Look, we're not going after your sister," Kaori said, jumping away from the balls. "We aren't causing any problems. We're going on our way, just allow us to leave." She brought up a tree root to block one of the balls, causing a small explosion of energy. Kaori's eyes widened as she lost control of the tree as Shigure's energy was neutralized. With a bit more energy, she regained control of the tree and dropped the root in time to block another shot, this having the same effect.

"Hm, so you can control plants," Shigure said. "No matter. You'll run out of energy long before I will."

"Why don't you just let us leave?" Kurama said, pulling out a rose whip and deflecting another blast. It took nearly twice as much energy to get it to maintain its form. Kurama was lucky he had chosen such a simple attack, or he would definitely be out of luck. "We have no quarrel with you, and we will not kill you because you are a human."

"Oh, wow, demons with honor codes," Shigure chuckled. "So tell me, did you only maim the students whose uniforms you stole?"

"These are ours," Kaori said. "Why won't you stop and listen? You think we'd just show up to attack you or your sister? We don't even know who you are!"

Shigure chuckled again. "You're just like the last scouts that were sent after that guy with amnesia. Sorry if my barrier is keeping you from your prize, but there's no way he's going with you." Kaori paused and looked confused.

"Who's looking for Kurogane?" she asked.

"Like I'm gonna tell you, demon!" Shigure said, charging at her with fists glowing with his energy. He swung rapidly, adding kicks and slashes, but Kaori continued to dodge without throwing a punch. "Oh come on, I know you want to kill me, torture me for the information you want. Stop holding back, demon!"

"You don't understand," Kurama said, coming up behind Shigure. "We're on the same side, just hear us out." Shigure swung back at Kurama who dodged his hand. However, a bit of his energy touched Kurama's arm, burning up his arm and pulling his energy out of his. Kurama yelped, jumping back and clutching his arm.

"We'll be on the same side when you're dead," Shigure said.

"Stop it!" Kaori shouted, flames erupting around her and her eyes catching ablaze. Shigure jumped back, surprised at the immense display of power. "You just want us to kill you and you don't even listen! If I wanted you dead, you would've hit the ground before two words left your mouth!" She began to walk towards him, anger and flames growing.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Shigure said, stepping back and tripping over a tree.

"You don't need to be afraid to die," Kaori growled, stopping right in front of him.

"SHIGURE!" A woman came running, diving in front of him protectively. "Leave my little brother alone!" she pleaded, tears in her eyes. Kaori stepped back, her eyes returning to their natural purple eyes.

"Ma'am, we had no intention of harming your brother," Kurama said, stepping up next to Kaori. "He came after us, thinking that we were coming after you."

"They're demons," Shigure said. "They came to attack us, probably looking for that unconscious guy."

"Kurogane's conscious," the woman sighed, standing and looking behind her. Yusuke and Kuwabara came running up, along with a slightly unsteady Kurogane. "These two are friends of his."

"And they're friends of ours," Yusuke said. He looked over to Kurama and his arm, and received a nod.

"My name is Masuyo," the woman said. "Please, let us go inside and discuss this."

"But we cannot get through that barrier," Kaori said before bowing to the siblings. "I'm sorry for letting my temper get the best of me, but I did not like being hated for my race."

"It is completely understandable," Masuyo said, bowing as well. "Shigure can lower the barrier, and all of this can be sorted out." Shigure looked at her as if she was insane, but only received a glare in return. "If they caused us harm, the humans would've killed me off and this girl would've killed you long ago." Shigure shot Kaori a glare, who only smiled meekly before stepping behind Kurama.

"We don't even know who they are!" Shigure protested, getting back up to his feet.

"I'm the Spirit Detective, Yusuke Urameshi, and this is my sidekick, Kuwabara," Yusuke said, pointed at the large teen behind him. "The guy you injured is Kurama, a demon who assists me on my cases, and the girl is-"

"Kaori," Kurogane said, eyes widening as she met his eyes. Everyone paused and looked at him before looking back at Kaori.

"You remember me?" she asked slowly. Kurogane nodded. "How? Who am I? Do you remember what happened?"

At those questions, Kurogane only shook his head. "All I remember is you and fire and...fear," he said. "I was afraid for you. I'm still afraid for you."

"Why?" Kurama asked. Kurogane shook his head again.

"I don't know."


	4. Diplomacy

I know, I know, I know.

You hate me right now. Don't blame me, blame school. AND THIS STUPID JAZZ HISTORY CLASS!! I've been swamped with reading, midterms, papers, and band. Why not skip band? Cause I need good standing to be section leader next semester. My not drop Jazz? I need it for a requirement so I can focus on my fun major things later.

I'm so sorry it's been forever since I updated. I can't even promise that I'll update before Christmas Break, since we have FINALS TIL THE 22ND!!! WHY?!?! I can try by New Years, definitely before Mid-January when the next semester starts. I have not forgotten about this, I swear. Or that Touya fic I promised. That may have to come in the summer though, unless next semester is a LOT more chilled. I made this chapter a bit longer and with a few hints of what's to come. Please read and review. I love you!

**Chapter 4**

Everyone sat in an eerie silence around the table. Masuyo brought everyone tea and a few bandages for Kurama. He insisted that he was fine, but she was only content when Kaori wrapped up his arms. Now everyone sat with their eyes on their cups. Kurogane, however, was staring at Kaori.

"Um, Shigure," Yusuke attempted. "I hear you got some special Spirit Energy." The later only nodded his head, shifting his gaze out of the window. Masuyo nudged him to continue, earning a half-hearted glare.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I worked on purifying it, so it reacts to demons and not with humans. I used to do exorcisms and things, getting them out of people and homes."

"So contact kills demons?" Kuwabara asked.

"If there's enough energy," Shigure said. He nodded to Kurama. "He didn't sustain much damage because I didn't put much into it and he was stronger than he looked. If he was weaker, he'd've been toasted on the spot."

"That's interesting," Kurama said. "It must come in handy as a defense."

"It's my own personal bug zapper," Shigure said with a small smirk. Kaori's eyes lifted for a moment, before falling back down to her cup as she drank slowly. "So, how do you know Kurogane? You don't seem the type to have normal human friends."

"Kurogane's not human," Kurama said, looking over to the demon in question. His eyes widened slightly as his gaze moved to Kurama, but he didn't seem afraid.

"How did he get in the barrier?" Shigure asked, slightly angered. "And why doesn't he have any energy? He can't be a demon."

"He's definitely a demon," Yusuke said, taking a sip of tea. "Trust us, we know. He was arrested about a week ago for working with a demon that wanted to take over the world. Soon afterwards, he disappeared."

"Taking over the world?" Kurogane asked, looking down at his cup. "But why?"

"That's what demons do," Shigure said, slamming his fist on the table. He stood and walked outside, leaving the room. A second later, they heard a door slide open and get thrown shut.

"Please forgive him," Masuyo said with a sigh. "He hasn't had the best experience with demons."

"I haven't had the best experience with humans," Kaori mumbled softly. "You don't see me siding with the demons that tried to take over the worlds." Silence fell over the room and Masuyo looked to Kaori apologetically.

"You fought back," Kurogane said, eyes returning to her face. "You weren't going to let Konajiru use you to rule the Demon World, because you're neither a tyrant nor a lacky. You are a very strong-willed and powerful person." Kaori smiled lightly at him before he looked away.

"Hey! Look who remembered Konajiru," Yusuke said with a grin. "Looks like your memories gonna be ok!"

"I didn't remember his name," Kurogane said, looking up at him curiously. "My father mentioned it earlier."

"I'm so BORED!" Ayame whined. She was sitting on the roof of an old factory. Hiei stood next to her, eyes closed, save his Jagan that was patrolling the area. "Why couldn't you at least let me go home and change?"

"Because that's a waste of time," Hiei said sharply. "Koenma gave us a job to do. I could care less about your fashion desires."

Ayame humphed and crossed her arms, glaring out over the city that lay behind them. The mission officially started 3 hours ago and all they did was sit on the roof while Hiei worked his magic. She didn't see why she was needed. Hiei was completely aware of his surroundings, which she became very much aware of when she tried to poke him. And it wasn't like she could go do something to protect Kaori and Kurama's alibi. She was MIA too, which didn't do anyone any good.

"Have you been training?"

Ayame looked up at Hiei in almost shock. It was the first time he had spoken to her without her nagging first. She nodded, and before she opened her mouth for an audible yes, Hiei threw his sword to her. She had to dodge the blade before catching it.

"Hey!" she yelled, standing up and glaring at him. "You don't throw your sword to somebody blade first! That's not safe!"

"Neither is throwing your sword to somebody," Hiei said, emotionlessly. "Practice. Your boredom is annoying."

Ayame stuck her tongue out at him before walking a few yards away and taking her stance. She tested the weight of the sword, then began carving arcs in the air. It was a light enough sword that she had no trouble, but heavy enough that she could get a good hold of it and not lose it. After a few experimental twirls, Ayame spun around with a grin on her face.

"This is really nice," she said. "Where'd you get it?"

"Demon World."

"Oh…yeah…" Ayame chuckled a bit at herself. "Um, why did you give this to me anyway? I haven't practiced with a sword, just fist fighting."

"Well then you had best start learning with a weapon," Hiei said with a bit of humor in his voice. "Grip it properly."

Ayame grabbed the hilt with both hands and looked to him. Hiei rolled his eyes and walked over to her, sliding her hands apart and twisting them slightly. "Relax your grip, or you'll drop it," he instructed. "You're right hand is the guide, so there's no need for extra pressure."

"Right," Ayame said, focusing on the sword. _Why are his hands so warm? _she thought to herself. _Wait, duh, fire demon. Wait…_ "Should I be getting sword lessons now? Aren't you supposed to be watching over the city?"

Hiei grunted, slightly annoyed. "I can handle it. Stop making excuses."

"I am not!"

"Then hold the sword right!!"

"...Oops, sorry."

Hiei growled, readjusting her hands once more before stepping back. "One downward stroke," he instructed.

"That's it? Why do you have so little faith in me?" Ayame whined. Hiei glared and she returned the gesture before turning away and focusing on the sword. She thought back to every sword fighter she had ever seen, including Hiei, then concentrated on her stroke.

"Good. Again."

Ayame repeated three more strokes before she added a spin and a single handed sideways slash to her left. She then brought her hands together for another downward stroke and sliced to the right. This time, the sword collided with Hiei's scabbard. She looked to him and he just looked back to her.

"You think you can handle something more difficult, so we will have a little spar," he said.

"WHAT?!"Ayame shrieked, jumping backwards. "But you're like, super fast and strong and THIS IS YOUR SWORD! It can probably kill me if you thought hard enough at it! Plus you're supposed to be watching the city."

"I will cut back on my demon speed because you're only a human and I have a bit more honor than just beating you into the ground your first time. And really? Think at my sword? That's the stupidest thing you've said today. And I'm perfectly capable-" Hiei was interrupted when Ayame swung at him, making him block with his scabbard and come face to face with her. His eyes widened briefly before narrowing with a scowl.

"Yes, you're perfectly capable of finishing your sentences," Ayame said with a smirk. She jumped back and lunged at him again with a thrust that he parried before slashing sideways, causing him to jump over her and rest the scabbard on her neck. "Cheater!"

"What makes you think every opponent will fight fair?" he asked. Ayame spun back around with a one handed slash that cut into Hiei's cloak before he was able to jump back. Ayame deflected his next attack with the scabbard but his strength pushed her back a few feet. She stood poised and waiting, sword up defensively and a small smirk on her face. "What are you so happy about? It's been about 35 seconds."

"That's thirty seconds longer than I thought I would've lasted," Ayame grinned. She opened her mouth to say something else, but paused when she saw a bright light in the distance, just behind Hiei, coming from the other part of town. Before she could ask what it was Hiei tackled her to the ground as three beings flew through where she had been standing. Hiei looked up, eyes narrowed as his Jagan followed the figures. They looped back around and landed on the roof, a few yards from where they were.

"Lightning demons," Hiei growled. He stood, pulling up Ayame and retrieving his sword before putting her behind him.

"What are you doing in the human world?" One of the three asked. He was the apparent leader, with messy brown hair that framed his face and contrasted with his bright yellow eyes.

"I should be asking you the same question," Hiei said, sheathing his sword and closing his Jagan before putting his bandana over it.

"Do not speak to our Lord that way, demon traitor," one of the others said. Hiei raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "You are Hiei, the demon traitor who assisted the Spirit Detective and took our Lord." Hiei raised another eyebrow and looked the demons over. Two had black hair tied back, though shorter than Kurama's own hair. All three had yellow eyes and were wearing a type of uniform. Though the two lackeys wore a deep blue jacket with black pants and robe, the 'Lord' wore one of a dark crimson red with a yellow streak down the left side.

"Enough," the leader said, putting out an arm to stop the outspoken demon from continuing. "I am Hitashi, and we are retrieving my brother Kurogane. May I expect no other interference from you and Spirit World in his return?" Ayame gasped behind Hiei, drawing Hitashi's attention.

"Are you the reason he disappeared from Spirit World?" She asked before Hiei's glare silenced her. Hitashi smiled politely at her with a slight bow.

"A very informed human, I see," he said. "Though we did not directly remove him from Spirit World, we are indeed those who ordered his release."

"Why didn't you just take him to Demon World with you?" Hiei asked, crossing his arms and watching Hitashi carefully. "Will you be able to pass back through the Kekai?"

"A portal to Demon World would've been too difficult and alerted Spirit World to our presence," Hitashi continued, now smiling at Hiei. "We can bypass the Kekai quite easily, as you can see by our presence here. This knowledge alone will keep Spirit World from digging too deeply into our affairs."

"What's so important about your brother that you would risk this whole complex plan for his escape?" Ayame asked. "Couldn't you just go ask for him back?"

"Spirit World would've held him for a ransom or bargaining tool if we had," the demon said, looking away from Hiei's continuous glare. "You see, he is the next heir to our throne. We must have him home immediately, for our father is near death."

"And we will destroy all who stand in our way," the third demon said, in a low and somewhat menacing voice. Hiei's eyes narrowed at this demon, a smirk on his lips.

"I do always enjoy a good challenge," Hiei said, causing the demon to scowl.

"You must forgive me for my short visit, but as you can see, we are in quite a bit of a hurry," Hitashi said. He turned towards the forest where Hiei could sense the group's energy.

_**Kurama.**_

_Hiei,_ came the immediate reply.

_**You're getting company soon.**_ Before Hiei could say any more the three lightening demons leapt off the roof, flying just as quickly as before with a crack of thunder marking their departure.

Kurama's head shot up, looking towards the city where he could sense the demons coming. Jumping up he ran out the door after Shigure, making everyone else stare after him. Kaori sensed it next, standing up with Masuyo and Kurogane behind her. "Someone's coming," she said aloud. She followed Kurama, making Kuwabara and Yusuke scramble to their feet and follow, with Kurogane and Masuyo following close behind. Outside, Kurama found Shigure, leaning under a tree.

"Shigure!" Kurama shouted, running up to him as Kaori reached the door. The human looked at him with a slight scowl before he sensed the energy coming towards him.

"Put up a barrier now!" Kurama commanded. Immediately Shigure tensed and placed his arms in front of him. Kurama felt a tug at his energy and jumped backwards towards the house just as three demons appeared in front of Shigure, a foot of space separating them from him. Shigure jumped back in shock, knowing he was a second away from death.

"I am Hitashi," the leader spoke with a small bow.

"Kurama," was the reply with a nod of his own. "May I ask why you have come to Human World and how you passed the barrier?" Kaori run up and stopped right behind Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara flanking her and ready to fight.

Hitashi smiled at Kurama's directness. "I have come for my brother," he said calmly. "We will be taking Kurogane with us, and will only need to pass the Kekai once more to return home."

"I see," Kurama said, feeling slightly more relieved and apprehensive at the same time. "Unfortunately, Kurogane is unable to return with you, because he is under jurisdiction of Spirit World. I am not at liberty to release him to you, but I'm sure with some negotiations we'll be able to come to an agreement."

"How dare you defy Lord Hitashi!" the outspoken demon shouted, stepping in front of his Lord. "You are not even worthy to fight him! I should go through this pitiful barrier and slice you and this human down myself!"

"Dare you to try," Shigure said with a smirk. "I love the smell of fried demon." This pushed the demon to the edge. He lunged at Shigure, who jumped back far enough to not be hit by the demon's flailing body. A scream was ripped from his throat as his energy was ripped out of his body and pulled into the barrier.

"Stop it!" Kaori shouted, catching everyone's attention. She passed Kurama and kicked the demon square in the chest, kicking him out of the barrier and into a tree that broke his fall.

"You would've killed him!" she shouted at Shigure, causing Masuyo and Kurogane to run up to the group.

"That was the idea!" Shigure yelled back. "He attacked us, so he deserved to die. Don't you demons live and die by the sword? You should understand that more than anyone!" Kaori narrowed her eyes at him, anger rising.

"Diplomacy should be employed before fighting," Kurama interrupted with a hand on Kaori's shoulder. He turned back to Hitashi with an apologetic bow.

"Yes, diplomacy must reign over violence," Hitashi said, glaring at the demon who barely made it to his feet before turning back to Kurama and the group. "Ingata will learn to hold his tongue and his temper. However, we are under a time constraint, and releasing Kurogane to us as swiftly as possible would be beneficial to us all."

"I'll call up binky-breath and have him come to meet you asap," Yusuke said as he approached Kurama's side. "However, because of that display, we're gonna have to keep that barrier up, just to make sure everyone is safe."

"Of course," Hitashi said, before turning and smiling at Kurogane. "Hello brother." Kurogane cocked his head slightly to the side and looked curiously at Hitashi. This made the latter look to him confused.

"Please forgive my rudeness," Kurogane said with an apologetic bow, "but did you say that I am your brother?"

Hitashi looked as if he had been stabbed. "Yes, you are," he said slowly. "I am Hitashi, you're younger brother. You are Kurogane, son of Ishio, heir to the throne."

"Heir?!" Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kaori blurted out before turning to look at Kurogane. He raised his eyebrows before mouthing a silent 'oh.' Yusuke pulled out his communicator, opening it up and seeing Koenma's face almost instantly.

"You had better get down here fast," Yusuke sighed. "We got a bit of a problem here."


	5. Tension

I know I know I know!! You hate me. Thanksgiving came and went, and I didn't update. BUT my sophomore fall semester is over! LET ME TELL YOU how it sucked. That and finals go to the 22nd!!! But I'm done, as of yesterday, and I'm going home, in like, 4 hours, so I sat amidst my half packed room and typed this out.

Yes, it's relatively short, but it's a filler. That, and I didn't want you to think I either died or quit this story.

NEITHER ARE GONNA HAPPEN!!

So, next chapter is already planned out in my head. Hopefully I'll have writing time. If we get the 7 inches tomorrow they say we should, I may be able to write this on Sunday as we all stay nestled in our warm comfy homes.

NO PROMISES! I'm sorry, but I dunno if I can keep them. I WILL finish this story though, even if it takes til the summer, it WILL be finished, and we WILL find out what's going on in Konajiru's life, and how this affects Kaori and Kurama's life, which I hope is important to you all...

Oh, side note. I really I changed the OC's name from Masuyo to Azami randomly. That will be fixed in a few days or so. (That was gonna be her original name til I changed my mind.)

ONWARD!!

**Chapter 5**

Koenma looked around the table expectantly. Masuyo, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Kaori, Kurogane, Hiei, Ayame, and Shigure sat on his right, while a barrier separated them from Histashi and his two men on the left. Koenma sat in the middle, unaffected by the barrier and sucking on his pacifier intently, even though he was in his teen form. Though everyone told what they knew, there were no links as to what was actually going on, and Koenma was afraid it would soon be his turn to spill his information.

"Let me get this straight," Yusuke said with a sigh, gaining everyone's attention. He pointed first to Hitashi. "You're Kurogane's brother, sent to fetch him 'cause your father is dying off in some kingdom somewhere and he's the heir apparent."

"Correct," Hitashi said with a small smile.

"But," Yusuke pointed to Kurogane, "you said that, when you woke up, a dude claiming to be your dad filled you in about Kaori, Konajiru, and that epic fight, but he didn't tell you anything about a kingdom or that you were arrested or why you lost your memory."

"Yes," Kurogane said.

"But you said you know the people who broke him out, since you ordered it," Yusuke said, again pointing to Hitashi.

"Yes, but his memory loss and the impostor are a mystery," he said, before sipping some tea and smiling thankfully at Masuyo.

"Now," Yusuke said, pointing to Masuyo. "You and your brother found Kurogane unconscious with amnesia, and no demon energy whatsoever." Masuyo nodded. "And since he only woke up right before we came, his 'father' must've showed up after wiping his memory but before knocking him out."

"Very good work, detective," Hiei said with his arms crossed. "You must really be taking your job seriously."

"Yeah, I was just laying out all the facts," Yusuke said. "Ok, Kurama, tell us what happened." Hitashi almost choked on his tea, swallowing it with a cough before looking at Yusuke incredulously before turning to Kurama.

Kurama could only smile apologetically. "Yusuke does not like the more…detail oriented part of his occupation. That is why Hiei, Kuwabara and I are his assistants," he explained.

"Babysitters," Kaori and Hiei said in unison. Hiei glared at her and she feigned a cough to suppress a giggle.

"Have you heard anything from the ones you sent to retrieve Kurogane?" Koenma asked. "Anything about how they got in or out without leaving the Human World?"

"As much as I'd like to tell you about the holes in your Spirit World's security, I'm afraid that I did not get a signal from them other then the barrier being opened," Hitashi said. It was his turn to smile apologetically. "You see, these demons use their own energy to create portals. That is why they could not return Kurogane to Demon world directly. You would have been able to track them relatively easily, since their energy differs from most other demons."

"Differs how?" Kurama asked. Hitashi paused in thought before sitting down his cup and forming a ball of lightening in his hands.

"Most demons use their energy for strength, or to manipulate and element, such as my lightning, your plants, and Kaori's fire," he explained, making the ball into a small sword. "Others, like the Jaganshi, summon their elements without complete manipulative power, but the same complete control."

"Like my Spirit Gun?" Yusuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Kurama said with a nod. "You can collect your energy and fire it, but you cannot bring back what is used or lost. Much like how Hiei's Dragon of the Darkness Flame is an attack, not a pet that walks around on a leash waiting for orders."

"Correct," Hitashi said. "Now, with these demons, they can release their energy, for example, firing a spirit blast, and stay in contact with it and controlling how far and fast it goes. Now, on command it will stop and open a portal. They can then fire another blast through the portal, having it travel in the space between the three worlds, and stop this where they wish, Spirit World for this case, and form the other end of the portal."

"And by entering one portal and leaving the other, they can bypass the Kekai barrier and go directly to whichever world is desired," Kaori said. Hitashi smiled at her and nodded.

"But that's not how you got to the Human World," Hiei interrupted. Hitashi smiled at him in turn and nodded again.

"Correct. We were already waiting in Human World for their signal that my brother was safe and sound. We sensed the portal open, but no other signal came. We waiting before heading to where we sensed the Jaganshi and you other detectives, figuring that you had captured my brother and were planning to return him to your prison."

"Breaking out of Spirit World Prison is a serious offense," Koenma said, looking at Hitashi sternly.

"Yes, but these are very pressing times," Hitashi said, returning a look with equal force. "My Kingdom needs a ruler, and from what information we received, you did not have much evidence to hold my brother. You eventually looked up his history and stalled his release in an effort to gain diplomatic leverage."

"No way," Kaori said, looking at Koenma skeptically. His eyes merely narrowed at Hitashi.

"I had in mind the best interest of all the worlds, not any selfish desires," he corrected. "Before his release I wanted to be sure nothing like this would happen, but sadly I acted too slowly and too generously in his case. Justice will be carried out, because you orchestrated a crime-"

"And I will gladly serve the sentence when you get out of my kingdom's way of survival." Hitashi growled, standing up and leaning on the table. His face was mere inches from Koenma's. "I do not wish to cause a war with Spirit World, nor do I intend to hide from you as if none of this occurred. However, my kingdoms' survival under its rightful king is more important than your measly punishments for saving that king. You can execute me and put me in limbo for eternity, but you will NOT stop me from saving my kingdom, and you can start by return his memories so we can leave at once."

Silence filled the room while Hitashi continued to glare at Koenma. A slight look of apprehension had crossed Koenma's face before he made it stern once again. "I did not erase his memories, nor did I order them to be. Perhaps it was your 'father's' doing." A punch was thrust at Koenma's face. He flinched as it crossed the barrier but never touched him. Hitashi paused with his fist barely an inch from Koenma's cheek.

Shigure flinched as Hitashi pulled his hand back through the barrier, shaking it out after his energy was pulled from him. He had a lot of energy, lots more than his lacky Ingata had, and that was only in half of his hand. Had he gone through with the attack, Shirgure would've had to up his shield to even stop Hitashi's energy from possibly killing Koenma, let alone do any damage to Hitashi himself.

"I apologize," Hitashi said, regaining his composure and sitting before looking across the table to Yusuke. "I hold my father in very high regard, as well as my kingdom. Forgive my outburst, but I simply wish to get things in order, then I will put myself in your custody."

"That seems reasonable," Yusuke said, looking over at Koenma who didn't seem at all pleased.

"Some of us will have to accompany you," Kurama said, also sensing the prince's distaste. "We will need to stay in contact with you and Koenma to monitor the situation."

"Of course," Hitashi said with a smile. "All of you are welcome to come."

"My Lord?" Ingata said, looking at him with shock.

"My Lord, our kingdom doesn't have…guests," the other demon said, looking slightly distressed as well. Hitashi cut his eyes at them both.

"I know very well the privacy of our kingdom. Would you rather they find the kingdom or that our kingdom falls apart?" Both were silent, though Yusuke spoke up.

"Is this like a hidden place in the sky?" He asked. "Like the ice village or something?"

"Similar, yes," Hitashi said. "We will have to escort you, or you will never find it. And once you are there, no one will find you, so please do not try to double cross us." His gaze rested on Koenma, who merely nodded, earning him a smile.

"Very well, who will be joining us?" Hitashi said, standing and in a much brighter mood.

"I would like to see this kingdom of yours," Kurama said. "Perhaps I can help to ease the tension you feel towards Spirit World during our visit."

"And I'm the Spirit Detective so I guess I have to go," Yusuke said. "Good thing the school won't miss me."

"Can I go please?!" Kaori asked, looking to Kurama pleadingly. "I haven't been to Demon World in FOREVER and I miss it and I won't tell anyone where the kingdom is I promise!!" He looked to Koenma who nodded.

"Yes, you may come, " Kurama said.

"YES!" Kaori jumped up in the air and started to dance around the table. "Going home! Gonna know a secret! Party at the Lightning Kingdom!" She came to Shigure's barrier and paused, before dancing back the other way. "Gonna do diplomacy! Help the king out!"

All eyes watched in amazement as Kaori danced around, excited and apparently oblivious to everyone's stare. Ayame couldn't help but laugh, making Yusuke join in as well.

Kurama smiled at Hitashi, who had a small smile of amusement on his face. "Yes, I believe you're right," Hitashi said, meeting Kurama's gaze. "You will definitely ease the tension."


	6. Home

Happy New Year. This is a bit longer, about 1,000 words or so. Opening to the main part of this story, so this is an intro chapter! Yay, new characters! I will go back and change Masuyo's name, but do know that her name IS Masuyo. Sorry about any mix up.

Winter Break ends Monday...Sad Face...I'm going to a funeral Friday and visiting this weekend, so any updates will take about a week. It's 2:33am right now, and I didn't sleep last night, so please just R&R. Hope you still enjoy.

**Chapter 6**

Hitashi led the group outside of the house, flanked by the other two lightning demons. He was followed by Yusuke, Kaori and Kurama, the three who would be joining him in Demon World along with Kurogane.

"Should we just follow you through Human World, or would you like us to make a portal for you?" Koenma asked, standing in the doorway.

"A portal would be easiest," Hitashi said, watching the sun set on the city before looking to Yusuke. "Will you be able to keep us with once we get to Demon World?"

"We'll ride on Pu so we stay together," Yusuke said, flaring his energy to alert his trusty Spirit Beast.

"I'll make a portal for you here then," Koenma said. "I'm taking Masuyo, Kuwabara and Shigure to Spirit World with me. Alert me when you are at the kingdom and keep me informed of what you plan to do."

"Gotcha," Yusuke said, stretching. "I've been itching to let more of my energy go. It gets boring holding it in here in the Human World." Hitashi smiled again.

"You all are welcome to take on your demon forms in our kingdom," he said. "Many of our people have never seen any other demons, and Kurogane is the only kitsune any have seen in many, many years."

"Wait, he's the only one?" Kaori asked. "Isn't your family lightning kitsunes? Or a blend?"

Hitashi shook his head. "My father met Kurogane's mother when he was away from the kingdom. A lightning kitsune is as rare as you fire kitsunes are."

"So how is he heir to the throne?" Yusuke asked, crossing his arms with curiosity.

"He brought her back to our land and she was eventually accepted, after she had a son that would keep our kingdom's ways," Hitashi explained. "She eventually died, after having our sister, who never leaves the castle. Then my father married a pure lightning demon and had me, the youngest and only full lightning demon in the family."

"Some say that Lord Hitashi should be king, but he is noble and respects not only his father's wishes but also his brother," Ingata said with pride. Hitashi smiled at him, before turning back to the Detectives.

"Though our people are isolated, I do not want them to be prejudiced against other types of demons. They should serve under a lightning demon of a different kind, hopefully opening the door to accepting other types of demons."

"But with open arms, the kingdom will lose some of its isolation," Kurogane observed.

"There are no laws about leaving the kingdom, only who may return with the departed. While full integration into the other kingdoms of Demon world would be difficult, prejudices often get in the way of peaceful negotiations."

"And peace is what everyone wants," Kaori said with a grin. At that, Pu landed next to Yusuke, nuzzling against him and making Kaori stare. Ayame let out a squeak and hid behind Hiei, who failed at hiding his disdain.

"Oh, yeah," Yusuke said. "This is Pu, my Spirit Beast. When I unlocked my Demon Blood, he powered up too. He used to be this ad-"

"ADORABLE LITTLE BIRDIE!!" Kaori ran up to Pu, scratching behind his ears and rubbing under his beak, making Pu chirp happily and nuzzle against her. "You're the cutest little Phoenix I've ever SEEN! Aww! And you have Yusuke's hair and everything! You're so cute!" Kurama couldn't help but chuckle as Yusuke stared with his mouth hanging open.

"What do you mean cute?!" Yusuke shouted. "He's an over indulged pigeon!"

"He's BLUE! And ADORABLE! And…And Not A Pigeon!" Kaori said sticking her tongue out. She climbed on top of Pu and hugged him around his neck. "We should go to Demon World and make you walk!"

"We're in too much of a hurry, Kaori," Kurama said, climbing on behind her and smiling to Hitashi. "I'm sure the portal is ready. We had better be quick or a group of demons may enter to the Human World."

"Very well," Hitashi said as Yusuke hopped onto the back of Pu, pulling Kurogane up with him. Hitashi gave his men a nod and they turned, taking off with a crash of thunder.

"Alright," Yusuke said. He turned to Hiei and Ayame. "You two stay here and make sure everything's cool while we're all gone and no one else finds a way into the Human World."

"Aye-aye!" Ayame said with a mini salute. Kaori saluted her in turn and Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Stop encouraging her," he said, turning and heading towards the city with Ayame in tow.

"Alright Pu! Let's go!" Yusuke shouted. With a loud 'Pu!' he took off, flapping with a fervor that made everyone hang on tightly. Kaori couldn't help but laugh, petting Pu as he slowly caught up with Hitashi and his guards. The portal appeared before them and in a heartbeat they were through and out in Demon World.

Suddenly, the demons lept up into the air, shooting through the clouds at almost breakneak speed. Pu followed suit, everyone holding onto him as they went completely vertical. As they topped the clouds, going even higher than the Ice Village, they saw a large wall in the sky enclosing a city. The walls were made of a black stone that seemed almost to blend into the tops of the clouds, and constant flashes of lightning lit up the towers and gates of the castle that set above the rest of the city.

"Wait, how are we supposed to walk around up here?!" Yusuke asked, seeing the lightning demons entering through the city's gate.

"The clouds are solid, Yusuke," Kaori said, changing into her demon form. Kurama transformed as well, giving Kaori a small squeeze before continuing to look ahead as they entered the city.

"This is where I'm from?" Kurogane said, looking in awe as Pu landed. Yusuke hopped down as did Yoko, helping Kaori and Kurogane off of Pu.

"Yes, brother," Hitashi said, lifting his arm and gesturing to the windows where other demons were looking out with whispers. "Welcome home." Kurogane walked up to Hitashi and noticed some of the demons drop to a knee.

"Welcome home, Lord Kurogane," one said.

"Good to have the Lords home together," said another. Kurogane nodded politely at all of the demons, while Kaori and Yoko smiled for him.

"Come this way," Hitashi said, parting the way through the growing crowd. "Your 'Pu' is gaining a lot of attention. We should head into the castle."

"Yeah, probably," Yusuke said, noticing the growing stares. The group followed him inside, dropping Pu off in a large enclosed garden so he could relax and take a nap. They went a large curved staircase and the two demons with Hitashi pushed open a large set of double doors. Inside was a large throne room, covered in gold and ebony carvings and jewel encrusted tapestries. A long carpet led through the middle of the room, over the marbled floor, up to two large thrones, two smaller ones on the left and one smaller one on the right.

Sitting in the large throne to the left was a woman, dressed in a long crimson gown with a large diamond necklace sitting just on her bust. She wore a small crown that sat atop her head, holding some of her hair up while the rest cascaded down to her waist. She stood with a smile, opening her arms graciously to the guests.

"Hitashi, my dear," she said, her smile broadening as he walked up to her and kissed her hands. "Oh come now. Hug your mother." With a smile, Hitashi embraced her.

"The Human World is nowhere near the sight of seeing you, darling mother," he said, walking her down a pair of steps that led to the throne.

"Oh dear, you've brought company," she said, looking over the group with a bit of distrust. Her gaze fell on Kurogane and she let out a gasp. "Kuro? Can it really be you?" Kurogane stepped forward and gave a slight bow.

"Hello, Madame," he said with a small smile. "I am indeed Kurogane; at least that is what I'm told."

"What you're told…?" The woman looked back at Hitashi, then to Kurogane.

"He lost his memory, Your Highness," Yusuke said, bowing after he received a glare from Yoko. "I am Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective."

"His memory?" The queen asked in surprise. "How is he to rule if he can't remember anything? What did Spirit World do to him?"

"Nothing that we are aware of, my lady," Yoko said with a bow. "However, we must investigate the matter in order to find who is responsible."

"Why is this any of your business, kitsune?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Yoko and then Kaori. "I do hope you two are not the reason it took so long for him to be returned to us."

"Kurogane was under arrest for aiding in a plot to take over Demon World, Human World, and Spirit World," Yusuke said, crossing his arms. "He was broken out of custody by some guys your son here hired, and was found without a memory. Now if there's anything you can tell us, we'd be most grateful to hear it without any attitude."

The Queen's eyes flashed at Yusuke. Hitashi however put up a hand to stop anything. "Mother, please. He is only trying to do his job," he said. He turned back to Yusuke and Kurogane. "If you would like to see my father, he is up in his bed chamber. This way." He kissed his mother's hand and led the group to a door behind the thrones. Kaori looked back and saw a glare from the Queen before she and the two lightning escorts left through another door.

The detectives climbed a spiral staircase and walked through another doorway into a large bed chamber, decorated in deep blues and gold. There were chairs sitting around the bed, plush seats with carved wood legs and satin upholstery. A few men were seated around the bed and stood when Hitashi entered, bowing to him and Kurogane. The men walked out, leaving the group alone with the occupant of the bed.

Long black hair was flayed around his head, eyes closed and mouth open, gasping lightly for breath. A dark blue robed covered his upper body, his hands resting at his sides. Hitashi looked pained when his eyes fell on the man in the bed, and it was obvious that this was indeed his father.

Hitashi sat at his side and placed his hand on the frail, pale hand on the bed. "Father," he said softly. The head tilted slightly to the left and the eyes opened. Upon seeing Hitashi he smiled faintly and grasped his hand as tight as he could.

"Hello, my son," he said weakly.

"I have found him, father," Hitashi said, turning and ushering Kurogane over to his father's side. Kurogane looked as pained as Hitashi as he knelt next to the ailing demon. The King, however, looked overjoyed as his eyes nearly filled with tears.

"My son," he breathed, reaching for Kurogane and grasping his hand. "You are alive, my son."

"Father," Kurogane whispered. "What happened to you? I haven't been gone so long as for this death to come to you?"

"You remember him?" Hitashi asked softly. Kurogane nodded.

"I know my father," he said, standing yet still holding the King's hand. "But the man that came to see me, that claimed to be my father, looked nothing like this. He wasn't ill, was not near death."

"Then that was not our father," Hitashi said, looking away. "He's been like this for years, holding on to the belief that he could not die until his heir returned."

"Years?" Yoko asked. Hitashi nodded.

"None of our doctors could find his ailment, just a sickness like old age upon him."

Yoko nodded. "Perhaps I could help. If I cannot make up a medicine, I may be able to give a plant that can ease his pain." Hitashi smiled broadly at Yoko.

"I do appreciate your kindness, even after the way I behaved to Lord Koenma," he said. "Our sister will be able to assist you. She is half kitsune and has studied plants, though she is not quite the master as you, the infamous Yoko Kurama."

"Any help would be appreciated," Yoko said with a small grin.

"And I can talk to his doctors to see what's been tried," Kaori said, eyes still on the King's peaceful yet pale face. "There has to be something."

"Well isn't this a surprise. Father has quite a bit of company." The group turned to see a young woman in the doorway behind them all, leaning against the jam with a smirk. She was a kitsune, Hitashi's older sister it seemed, with grey ears and tail under a dark blue and green kimono-like dress. It was much shorter in the front with a long train in the back, one sleeve over her left shoulder and the dress showing quite a lot of skin, high and low.

Her eyes strayed over the group, pausing a bit as she smiled at Yoko, then growing large as she saw Kurogane. "Kuro?" she asked, walking into the room and past Yusuke, who could barely keep his jaw off the floor. Kurogane turned to her and tilted his head slightly as he studied her.

"Kurogane, this is Hitomi," Hitashi said, taking her hand and pulling her over. Kurogane looked at her face intently, studying her. When he looked into her eyes, he gasped, blinked, then squinted.

"Does he not remember me?" Hitomi asked, slightly confused.

"He got his memory erased," Yusuke spoke up, pulling his eyes off of Hitomi's legs. "We brought him back home to see what's up."

"I'm older than you," Kurogane said, catching Hitomi's attention. "I was there when you were born, and I kept you close by because we were the same, Hitomi." She smiled and hugged him, catching him off guard but he held her as if by instinct.

"Welcome back, Kurogane," she said, pulling back and smiling brilliantly. "You have a lot to catch up on." She turned and looked at Yusuke, Kaori, and Yoko. "You're friends are definitely allowed to stay as well, I'm sure."

"Yoko and Kaori are going to help father, and Yusuke, the Spirit Detective, is investigating Kurogane's predicament," Hitashi said, gesturing to each in turn.

"Oh how wonderful!" Hitomi said, taking Kaori's hands into hers and twirling her. "A pair of kitsunes to help father and a detective to save our brother." She walked over to Yusuke and fluffed his hair, before taking Yoko by the arm and leading him towards another door. "Come! I will show you my collection and all that you have at your disposal!"

Yoko raised an eyebrow, looking back at Kaori who smiled and shrugged. "Be polite!" she called as they disappeared through the archway. Hitashi smiled.

"My sister is a bit…friendly," he said with a small sigh. "I can take you to the greenhouse as well, after I show you where you will be staying."

"Awesome, cause this trip has me tired already," Yusuke said with a yawn. "But man, was your sister hot! How do you keep her locked up in the castle?"

"By giving her a plant collection and many, many books, Detective," Hitashi said. "I do love my sister very much, even if we only are half siblings. She will meet her proper mate and he will be the only one who may take her hand."

"And he had better treat her well," Kurogane said, eyes narrowing slightly. He looked over to Kaori who grinned.

"It's nice to see you still remember how you feel," she said. "Maybe returning home was exactly what you needed."

"You have been gone a long time," the King spoke up. Kurgoane spun back around to see his father, smiling though his eyes were closed. "I need to rest. You go with your brother and friends and go around the city. Remembering your past life will prep you for your rule of the kingdom."

"Goodnight, father," Hitashi said, kissing his forehead. Kurogane kissed his hand, and followed Kaori, Yusuke and Hitashi out the same way they came in.


	7. Crafty

The good news is that I have a new chapter up! The other good news, I live in Philly so there's no classes tomorrow! The bad news, I still have two tests on Thursday, so instead of playing in the projected 18inches of fresh goodness, I'm gonna be studying.

At least there's a new chapter, right?

Well, onward! And have a Happy Valentine's Day!

**Chapter 7**

Hitashi pushed open the doors to a large hallway that had 3 doors on the left and three more on the right. He pushed open the first door, revealing a large dark blue bedroom with gold finishes. There was a sitting area, bookshelf, and doors leading to a separate bathroom and closet. "This room and the others in this hall are for you, Detective," he explained. " My sister, Kurogane and I will be just around the corner."

"So we have all of these rooms?" Yusuke asked.

"You get to choose from among these six, yes," Hitashi said with a smile. "Ingata will come and fetch you for dinner. If you have any other-" Before he could finish, Yusuke was in the first room and had shut the door, diving on the bed and snoring almost immediately.

Kaori couldn't help but laugh at the surprise on Hitashi's face, matching Kurogane's. They both looked at her and she had to lean against the wall. "I'm sorry, but that's Yusuke," she said, sighing and wiping a small tear from her eye. "It's definitely obvious you two are brothers." The two looked at each other and then back at Kaori.

"Well," Hitashi said, trying to regain composure. "There are clothes in each of the rooms, in case you would like to change into something other than your uniform."

"Thank you very much," Kaori said. "After I pick a room and change-wait, how will I know which have women's clothes and which have men's?"

"There's both in each room," Kurogane said, looking into a room behind him nonchalantly. "Oh, this one matches your eyes." Kaori's eyes grew big when she saw the room full of purples and golds, very similar to Yusuke's across the hall.

"Whoa…" Kaori said.

Hitashi smiled as Kurogane went into the next room. "After you are changed, we will go check on Hitomi and Yoko."

"I do hope they are getting along well," Kaori said thoughtfully, entering her room and opening the closet doors. A grin spread across her face as she reached for the perfect thing to wear.

7777777777777777777777777777(this works better than lines)7777777777777777777777777777

Yoko had to admit, he was relatively impressed by how many plants Hitomi had managed to create just from reading books. Some were seeds she had brought to her, others were very complex blends she formed herself, reading about the compounds and environments that allowed each type to thrive.

More surprising were the docile 'Death Plant,' if it could be called that anymore, and the Ojiki. It only responded to specific word commands instead of movement, which intrigued Yoko. "What have you taught them?" He asked, petting a leaf and gaining its attention immediately. He didn't feel threatened by any of them. In fact, they seemed just as interested in him as he was in them.

"Simple things really," Hitomi said, hopping up on a counter and caressing the leave of a flower with red pedals and white polka dots. The tendrils began wrapping around her arms as she stroked them. "Friend, foe, guard, be polite, hello, how are you, and the answers to such. If they're thirsty they respond properly, or if it's too cold or dark. Those vines in the pots can usually take care of the others. They can pull themselves around and grab the water hose, open the blinds, et cetera."

"Interesting," Yoko said, eyeing one that began touching his tail. It twitched, making the plant back away. "So have you made any medicines to try to help your father?"

"A few, yes," Hitomi said, crossing her legs and grabbing a book that sat next to her. "Nothing too fancy, because I have no idea how any of these are supposed to work. I don't even know if I made them properly."

Yoko could hear the sadness in her voice, and apparently her pet flower could too. It tried to move to her lap, making her chuckle and push it out of the way. It was only then that Yoko noticed how high her skirt went up and turned away, looking to another plant as a distraction.

"Not all of them have to be made into medicines," he said, walking over to a vine on the back wall. "Some have natural curing abilities that are added to others. You can usually tell by the taste, but this one for example is good for preventing infections." When Yoko turned around, Hitomi was directly behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"Ohh," she said, reaching out and taking the vine. Yoko took a step back, looking away. Hitomi wasn't obviously flirting with him, but it made him feel a bit nervous. He would feel a lot better with Kaori with him. The way she reacted before when she thought he had betrayed her had been enough for him to realize that he needed to be honest and open with her. If Hitomi tried something then he'd have to tell her the truth and hope she believed him.

"Is something the matter?"

"Hm?" Yoko asked, looking back to Hitomi. She was smiling at him.

"You're daydreaming, aren't you?" she said, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back against the wall. "So what goes through the mind of a thief? Treasures? Prizes? Women?"

Yoko barely was conscious of hiding his surprise when Hitmoi spoke to him. "Thief?" he asked smoothly. "What makes you think I'm here to steal anything?"

"Everyone knows about the Great Yoko Kurama," Hitomi smiled. "Well, anyone who reads stories of great plant masters and dangerous thieves. It must be fun, breaking rules and gaining notoriety for doing whatever you want." Hitomi walked over to Yoko and stared in his eyes, the smirk never leaving her face. "Don't worry though. It'll be our little secret."

"I'm sure your brother already knows-"

"And he will not tell the kingdom that a thief is taking care of our father," Hitmoi said, smirk growing. "That would definitely not go over well."

"And it would be the death of your father," Yoko said, eyes narrowing. "If you intend to blackmail me to receive something then you should find a better threat, my lady."

Hitomi grinned again, taking a step back and smiling. "You're always thinking, always calculating," she said. "Have you ever been taken by surprise? Ever been completely and utterly unable to plan out your next plan of action?" Yoko's eyes narrowed farther at Hitomi. She wanted something out of him, something he couldn't be sure. They were in a room surrounded by her plants. If he got to the door-

"Oh wow! It's beautiful in here!"

Both kitsunes turned to the voice coming from behind one of the largest trees in the room.

"This is my sister's collection," Hitashi could be heard saying. "I believe she spend about ten years on it, collecting books and seeds and information."

"Awesome," Kaori said, finally coming into view. "Oh there you are! This room is lovely Hitomi!"

"Thank you Kaori!" she said, walking over to her and giving her a hug, Yoko walking slowly behind her. "I'm glad I have your approval. And I see you have found one of the rooms! That dress is DIVINE on you!"

Yoko raised an eyebrow, looking Kaori over carefully. She had let her hair down, allowing to cascade over the shoulders of the tunic-like dress. It was a satin, lavender gown with a deep violet sash that hugged her hip, a small broach holding the tie in place. The fabric fell loosely around her chest and cascaded down to just over the floor where it bled grey and showed only the tip of her shoe. However, a split on the side showed a bit of leg, just up to her knee.

"That is a lovely dress," Yoko said as Kaori did a mini twirl. Nothing lifted too high, but he did notice her tails underneath, probably wrapped around the back of her legs. "Where did you find it?"

"Hitashi gave us all rooms, and there's a whole bunch of clothes in them for our stay!" Kaori said happily.

Hitashi nodded to Yoko. "Yusuke is taking a nap, and Kurogane is touring the castle, looking for little places he remembers," he said. "I'm sure Hitomi can take you to your rooms, I have some business to attend to."

"Oh of course!" Hitomi said, waving Hitashi off. "Go do 'princely' things. I'll take good care of them."

"My room's purple!" Kaori said, doing a little jump of joy. Yoko couldn't help but smile at her before bowing to Hitashi.

"I do thank you for your hospitality," he said. Kaori bowed as well. Hitashi smiled and exited through the same door they entered, shutting it lightly.

"Well, my dear guests," Hitomi said, her gaze holding Yoko's for a second. "What would you like to do?"

"Well," Yoko began. He was interrupted by a squeak from Kaori. He turned to see her fighting a plant.

"It's trying to tickle me!" she whined before laughing as a leaf reached her belly. "I didn't know ivies could be so playful!" She tried to tickle one of its flowers, but it moved it out of the way as a vine brushed against her calf. Kaori 'eeped' and leaped away behind Yoko, holding on to his waist and glaring at the plant.

Hitomi couldn't help but laugh aloud. "I'm sorry, Kaori. I guess I made my plants too friendly."

"Oh! No! There's nothing wrong with it. I was just surprised, is all," Kaori said, bowing to Hitomi. "Can we get a tour of the castle too?"

"Well, I'd hate to bore you and Yoko," Hitomi said.

"Nonsense," Yoko said. "It is us who must be boring you. If you have other things to do, please, do not let us interrupt you."

"Oh he's right!" Kaori said before Hitomi could protest. "Don't worry, I'm sure me and Yoko can find something to do until dinner. Then the tour!"

"Have a good day, Your Highness," Yoko said, giving a small bow before taking Kaori by the elbow and leading her away while she waved.

"Wait!" Hitomi called, but it was too late. Hitomi sighed and crossed her arms. "I don't _have_ anything to-wait! He tricked me so he could get away!" She stomped her foot, but smirked before slowly following the pair of kitsunes down the hall. "However, I'm sure I'll figure out that crafty little fox."

77777777777777777777777777(weeeeeeeeeee)77777777777777777777777777

"Your room can be next to mine!" Kaori was saying. "It's green and kind of like nature. Mine's purple!"

Yoko couldn't hide the smile on his face. "I do believe you've already mentioned that," he said.

"Oh," Kaori said, pausing at the intersecting hallways. "Now did we turn left or right to get here…or not at all…"

"Looks like we'll just explore now then," Yoko said, turning right and walking down the hall.

"Hey wait up!" Kaori called. "We definitely came from the other way!"

"Good."

Kaori started at Yoko's back until he turned the next corner. "Hey wait! We'll get lost!" she ran after him. As she skidded around the corner, she ran right into his chest, immediately trapped in his arms.

"Good," he whispered, holding her close.

"You're sneaky," Kaori giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"And you really do look lovely." Yoko took a step back to observe her once again. "Did it need to be altered at all?"

"Nope!" Kaori smiled, twirling again. "It's just as purple as my room!"

"Perfect you mean," Yoko chuckled. Kaori shrugged.

"Same thing."

"So should I just call you purple then?" Yoko asked, pulling her close again.

"Nah, cause then everyone will think I'm super amazing, and I'm just ok." Kaori hopped up on her tip toes to kiss his nose, but Yoko caught her lips with his own instead. He smiled when she pulled away to kiss his nose.

"Come on, let's see what else is around here besides a love-struck kitsune."

"I had no idea you were love-struck," Yoko said, feigning surprise. Kaori glared at him before walking away with a 'humpf.'

Yoko laughed as he followed, trying to grab a hold of her hand or arm or anything. "What, are you a love struck Hiei now? 'Hn' is next, I suppose?" Unfortunately Kaori was very good at dodging and darted down the hall with a laugh while Yoko gave chase.

Hitomi watched with amazement as the two played down the halls like two young kits. _What is it about that girl?_ she thought. _THE Yoko Kurama, playing like a child? _"She must've bewitched him," she said aloud. Down the hall, Yoko caught Kaori and pinned her up against the wall, grinning as he trapped her in a kiss.

"I have to learn how to do that."


	8. Honor

Did you miss me like I missed you? I'm sorry this update took forever. Sophomore slump is definitely caused by the insane amount of work they suddenly through at you at the end of your Spring Semester. I should've spent the last two days studying for a final instead of writing this, but you have no idea how much I wanted to write. It's a long chapter, at least by my standards, and there's a lot of tension in this chapter. Hope it's acceptable for being gone for two months...

Anyway, the semester is ending soon, we're maybe getting to the halfway of this chapter. Back in the Human World for a bit and then right back to Demon World for a bit of entertainment. Unless I actually get a phone call or e-mail to set up an interview, I dunno if I'm working this summer, so hopefully the updates will roll around a lot faster once May 10th rolls around. Also, I've been getting put on a lot of alerts and favorite lists, and I wanted to thank everyone. I appreciate the love.

I did not, however, go and buy the rights to Yu Yu Hakusho, however, so this is still not mine. Read and Review.

**Chapter 8**

Ayame sighed, laying on the couch in her living room, staring up at the ceiling. Of course she and Hiei were told to wait in the city and make sure nothing else was going to happen. And of course, they were sitting in her house, waiting for that something to happen.

At least she was. Hiei was glaring out of the window, sporadically saying something about always babysitting. At least she got to change out of her uniform though. And Koenma did say that they would have something to do soon. However, he has been around for ages, so his soon might not be soon enough for Hiei.

"You wanna do anything?" Ayame asked. "I got a few movies, a couple games. There's a park a little ways from here if you want to practice-"

"If anything I'd train," Hiei spat. "I don't _practice_."

"Well excuse me, Mr. Sourpuss," Ayame said, rolling her eyes. "I can order a pizza or something if you're hungry. I'm sure you're not a vegetarian or anything, so how about a meat lovers?"

With only a hn and a glare as her reply, Ayame rolled off the couch and headed to the kitchen, humming while she dug out the restaurant's phone number. Hiei returned to glaring out of the window, hoping that Koenma was suffering as much as he was. His mental venting paused as he heard the sound of something fall, most likely Ayame's cell phone or something.

What surprised him the most was that she wasn't shrieking about the world coming to an end. Hiei turned to the kitchen, faintly realizing that she wasn't humming anymore. Silently, Hiei flitted across the room, pausing by the doorway and looking at the reflection of the kitchen in the stainless steel refrigerator. Ayame was facing away from him, a hand over her mouth and a blade at her throat. Hiei watched as the demon behind her leaned back against the wall, most likely listening for Hiei.

A second one looked out the window and around the kitchen before lacing his fingers together and concentrating his energy. There was nothing to sense, only a faint white glow visible that soon formed into a black portal, most likely to demon world. The creator of the portal took a step in, nodding to his companion before stepping through the portal. Ayame let out a small whimper before the blade was pulled tightly, pulling against her throat, causing a small gash.

As the demon pushed her forward he let out a small cry, releasing her and half pushing her to the ground. Ayame spun around to see a sword sticking out of his stomach and Hiei glaring at the demon from around the door frame. He pulled the blade back through the wall and walked into the kitchen as the wounded demon fell to the ground, holding the hole in his stomach.

"Where were you going to take her?" he asked calmly, standing between him and the portal.

"Please," he pleaded, blood starting to form on his lips.

"Do you have a name? Or should I just assume you and your friend are those who retrieved Kurogane?" Hiei asked, not showing the slightest hint of empathy.

"Please, just kill me," the demon said again. "I shall not betray my colleagues and I shall not aide you, though I know I cannot defeat you. Let me at least die with my honor."

Hiei narrowed his eyes at the demon who slowly stood. "Very well," he said, holding up his sword. The demon lunged at him, but Hiei side-stepped, slitting the demon's throat and kicking him into the portal. It closed behind him, leaving the two standing alone in the kitchen. The only visible signs of their presence were the hole in the wall, the bloodied sword, and Ayame's neck, still trickling blood.

"At least we've met these portal making demons," Hiei said, sheathing his sword to clean it later. He turned to look at Ayame, who leaned back against the wall, her hand on her neck. "Touching it will not disinfect the wound." Her eyes lifted to meet his before she slid down the wall, eyes glazing over.

Hiei knelt in front of her and moved her hand. The wound was already starting to turn black as if it was infected or worse. "Poisoned," Hiei sighed. "Lucky for you this is a common one, or you'd be waiting for the fox to get back." With amazing gentleness, Hiei lifted Ayame and headed out, jumping through the trees to Kurama's home.

He had to sit her down to go open the window and then get her again, laying her out on his bed while she continued to hold her hand to her neck, trying to blink away sleep. "Hiei," she whispered.

"Don't worry about being poisoned," he snapped, digging through the fox's closet to where he knew he had a first aid kit for these types of situations. "It isn't that serious, but save your energy, as I'm not carrying you around anymore today.

_My back too,_ she thought, a bit more calmness in her voice. Hiei turned to look back at her.

_**Same blade?**_

She shook her head. Hiei grabbed the kit and sat it on the desk, sitting Ayame up and lifting her shirt just enough to see the small stab wound just off of her spine. Hiei cursed under his breath, knowing that it was the tip of his blade.

_Don't worry about it,_ Ayame shook her head, eyes getting shinier. _It's…it's…it was…_

Hiei pulled back her hand and took cloth to the cut to wipe off the excess blood. It was a bit deeper than he originally assumed, but nothing too serious. She flinched as he blotted alcohol around it to kill any germs. Then he pulled out a small vile of ground plant leaves and chewed on them a bit, before spitting some on his finger and putting it in the wound.

_Eeeewwww…_

"The saliva activates the plant," Hiei growled, putting the vile back and wrapping over her neck. "Lucky for you it was caught early. You may be a bit uncomfortable for the next few hours but you will definitely survive."

_Why are we in Shuichi's house?_

"Because he had the antidote. It's going to take a bit to circulate through your body, so you may-"

_His mom let's you in? She's so nice…_

Hiei battled with himself over whether or not to leave the girl and just go cut down a forest, but he knew it was the poison still affecting her. "His mother isn't home, and won't be for a while. You can sleep here until you've recovered."

Ayame nodded, slowly closing her eyes and turning on her side away from him. _That's good. Remember when I wake up, that I'm getting you that meat lover's pizza. Then you can tell my mom about the whole you put in her wall._

Hiei rolled his eyes, getting another cloth with alcohol. "At least I can clean your back while you sleep. Then I'll at least have some peace and quiet."

_I'll be quiet if you'll be peace…_

888888888888888(sideways infinity!! ^_^)88888888888888888

Yusuke, Kaori, and Yoko all sat patiently at the table. It was dinner, time, and all three had washed and changed into formal attire, after they finally managed to wake the detective of course. He stifled a yawn as he adjusted the collar on his tunic. Yoko of course sat much straighter than he and didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable in the formal attire. Kaori sat very delicately to Yoko's left, and to his right, the seat reserved for Hitashi. Being the guests of the royal family, they were near the head of the table while other guests sat down next to them with smiles and courteous bows.

Next to Yusuke were the two seats reserved for Kurogane and Hitomi, while at the head was a seat for the queen. He nodded to the man who sat to his right, holding back another yawn. "I'm starving," he said to Yoko. "When does the food get here?"

"Shortly," Yoko said calmly. "It will be set on the table, and then the Royal Family will arrive. That way, they do not need to sit and wait for it. Then, we eat."

"That'll take forever," Yusuke moaned. The older demon next to him chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Lord Kurogane has been keeping very interesting company while he's been away," the demon said. "I am Tsubaki, an aide to the king."

"Yusuke," he said, hiding his scowl.

"I am Kaori, and this is Yoko," Kaori said politely. Tsubaki smiled at her and nodded to Yoko, who returned the gesture.

"What brought you all here in the first place?" asked a demon who sat next to Kaori. "It is rare that any demons come here at all, much less walking guests."

"Walking?" Yusuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Any demon that doesn't fly would have no idea that this place even exists," Kaori said to him, before smiling to her new neighbor. "We met Lord Kurogane a short while ago. Lord Hitashi then made our acquaintance and invited us back here with them."

"I am sorry that our Lord the King could not great you properly," Tsubaki sat as dishes began to arrive at the table.

"It is to be expected," Yoko said warmly. "Kaori and I hope to find what is the cause of his illness."

"And if at all possible, we'll be able to either help him or stop the cause of it from spreading farther," Kaori added.

"Lovely and smart," the demon said, taking her hand and placing a kiss on top. "General Ito. Lords Kurogane and Hitomi are the only kitsunes we've had here, besides their dear mother. I do hope you get to stay around so we get to see how else you may surprise us."

"Who knows? I just may have to spar with you, general," Kaori said with a smile. Ito raised his eyebrows before a smirk crossed his face.

"I could never harm a lady such as yourself," he purred. "But perhaps your friends would join me and a few of our other officers in a friendly little spar."

"Deal!" Yusuke said, pumping his fist. "I've been itching for a good brawl forever!"

"Yes, it would be good to let go of a bit of energy," Yoko said, smiling at Ito. "All in good fun, of course." Something dark in his eyes made the general pause for a moment. Kaori slid her hand out of his and placed it back on her lap. It was then did he see that Yoko was holding her other hand.

"Do be careful, Ito," Tsubaki said. "These are the Lord's guests. He would not bring anyone who could not handle their own." Ito looked over to Yusuke and then back to Yoko. A small smile crossed his face as Hitomi, Hitashi, and Kurogane entered the room with the Queen just behind them.

"All in good fun, my dear Tsubaki."

8888888888888888 (I missed you too!! ^_^) 888888888888888

"A spar?" Hitashi asked, walking with the group out of the castle. Everyone had changed into their normal attire, save Kaori who put on a short tunic with a pair of shorts underneath. Hitashi remained in his clothes, but Kurogane put on a more relaxed shirt and pants.

"It was Kaori's idea," Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles. "And Ito was into it, so we' can't just back down."

"You wish to fight with one of our generals?" Hitashi asked again, turning to Kaori. "My dear, I do not wish to underestimate you or your abilities, but it is unheard of in our country for a female to spar with someone so powerful and highly ranked."

"I appreciate your concern, and I will not underestimate your general, but I promise that I will be able to take anything he can throw at me," Kaori said with a smile. "And I will make sure that nothing gets too out of hand."

"It will definitely be interesting," Yoko said, smiling at the enthusiasm. "And perhaps it will aid in Kurogane's memory recovery."

"How's that coming anyway?" Yusuke asked. Kurogane shrugged.

"I remember a lot of general things," he said. "Names, faces, the layout of the castle. But details about myself still escape me. I cannot tell you what I've done since I've left here and met you all, and much of that I only know from talking to you."

"Relax for now," Hitashi said, placing a hand on his shoulder as they came to the training grounds. "Enjoy this time with your friends, and do not push your energy to come out until it is ready." Kurogane smiled at his brother and for a moment, it was almost as if the two had never seperated.

"That's so nice," Kaori whispered to Yoko. He chuckled, before looking ahead and seeing General Ito and a couple other men next to him. They smiled, saluting Hitashi and Kurogane.

"My, Kaori," Ito said, taking her hand again. "I did not expect to see you dressed to come out with the others for a spar. You really are trying to impress us." He turned to Yusuke and Yoko and bowed slightly to them. "You may each choose a sparring partner."

"Aw, I was looking forward to fighting you," Yusuke said. "Are they just as good as you?" Ito laughed and nodded, gesturing to the man immediately to his left. With a smirk his energy rose and lighting began to collect in the sky.

"Are you ready?" he said. Yusuke shrugged, pulling up his fists and stepping away from Yoko and Kaori. They backed away and watched as the two stood and watched each other, Hitashi and Kurogane just behind the pair. In a flash the demon lunged at Yusuke, who dodged the first two punches but caught the kick in the side.

"He's fast," Yusuke said as he stood, jumping back again and dodging a large shot from the demon. A bolt of lightning nearly caught him, but he dove and rolled to his feet, meeting the charging demon with a kick in the gut. The demon fell back a step and Yusuke went all out. He punched, kicked, grabbed, and kept the demon on his toes, now stuck in defense. Ito narrowed his eyes as his second in command was pushed back and eventually knocked to the ground. Yusuke bounced on his toes, trademark finger pointing and waiting.

The demon charged a blast of lightening in his hands, glaring at Yusuke. However, his eyes widened as Yusuke's finger began to glow. With a growl he threw the bolt as Yusuke jumped and fired. "Spirit Gun!" he shouted as he fell back. His energy collided with the bolt, eradicating it all together and sending a good amount of energy at the demon. He blocked, but was forced back a good 10 yards before all of the energy was gone. His arms were bleeding and he was obviously winded.

Yusuke put up his hands with a smile. "How bout we end it on friendly terms, huh?" he asked. Reluctantly, the demon looked to Ito, who nodded to him.

"Very well," he said, dusting himself off and shaking Yusuke's hand. The two walked back over to the group.

"That was very good," Hitashi said with a smile. "Lucky for you we are not recruiting. It would be nice to have such a warrior on our side."

"Do you get into many wars up here?" Yoko asked.

"Only raids by bands of demons who come in search of treasures or a fight," Hitashi said.

"Our men have never lost a battle to raiders," Ito said. "We train our men well. I'm amazed at your abilities. Your stamina has been unmatched since the times of Lord Raizen and the other Rulers of Demon World."

Yoko chuckled, getting Ito's attention. "That is only fitting, since he is Raizen's heir," he said. Ito gasped, turning and looking to Yusuke. "This is only a spar, so you need not concern for the safety of your men."

Ito sent him a glare. "I do not worry for my men," he said. "You many fight next, however. I am interested to see how you match up to the heir of a Demon Lord."

"Very well," Yoko said, walking out onto the field with the other demon. "I am not as much as a brutal fighter as Yusuke is, however. I hope I do not disappoint." The other demon nodded at him, raising his energy as well. Yoko remained calm and relaxed. "I await your move."

"Of course," he replied. Instead of charging immediately, he formed two swords of lightning in his hands before tentatively lunging at Yoko. The latter merely dodged, smirking at his cautious and much smarter opponent.

_He is waiting to see what I do first. Very wise,_ he thought. Yoko formed a sword out of a plant and parried one of the demons quickly, stopping any charge from getting to him. The sword fight continued for a while, mostly with Yoko on the defense. He didn't push anything and slowly his opponent started to get impatient, pushing harder and faster. Yoko matched him easily, but never pushed any harder. After a while, the two broke apart, pausing and looking at each other. Yoko smirked and dissolved his sword back into a seed.

"Fight me!" the demon shouted angrily. "Why are you stopping?!"

"I was fighting you," Yoko said calmly, folding his arms. "I have already won."The demon moved to lunge, but plants sprouted all around him, vines gripping his arms and legs and holding him down. A flower blossomed in front of him, teeth coming out of the middle and snarling in his face. The demon froze, staring into the mouth of the plant. After a moment, they all disappeared, returning to the seeds Yoko had dropped. Hitashi applauded while Yoko walked over and held out his hand. The demon took it and shook it, accepting his defeat.

"Keep your eyes open," Yoko said. "I could tell you could read my stance and my swordmanship, you just need experience with demons that are not so aggressive in their actions." The demon gave him a nod and a small smile which Yoko returned.

"It seems we are down to Kaori and you, Ito," Kurogane said. "You do not need to fight her if you do not want to. She is quite powerful from what I do remember."

Ito smiled at his lord before turning to Kaori. "I'm too curious to see what she has to offer," he said, smile still on his face.

Yoko passed her as she walked onto the field. She smiled at him and gave him a high five. He caught her hand and pulled her close. "Don't be too easy on him," Yoko whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," Kaori smiled. She smiled at Ito too. He shook her hand, holding it for a while.

"Though this is a friendly spar, I will not go especially easy on you because you are a female," he said to her. "I do hope that doesn't put a damper on our relationship."

"Of course not," Kaori said. "Just know I'm not going to go especially easy on you because you are a general. I do hope my intentions are made clear."

"Of course," Ito said. Before he released Kaori's hand he pulled her into a kick, sending her back a few feet.

"Hey!" Yusuke shouted. Yoko put a hand on his shoulder, without taking his eyes off of Kaori, who landed gracefully on her feet before leaping away from a bolt of lightning. She rolled and cart-wheeled away from another bolt before blocking Ito's kick. The two exchanged shots that were all dodged or countered, Ito smirking at Kaori whose smiling face turned into calm concentration.

"I hope this isn't too fast paced for you," Ito said, forming a ball of lightning on his fist and punching at Kaori. She jumped back and kicked his hand away, back flipping away and pulling out a rose. The whip caught Ito's wrist and she pulled, catching herself and pulling him off his feet at the same time.

"No way," she said, pulling off the whip and holding it loosely at her hip. Her tails swished excitedly behind her before calming to a small twitch. "You should see Hiei. Now _he's _fast. This is a good, blood pumping pace."

"Do not underestimate me," Ito said, energy rising. He leaped at her again, dodging her whip and trying to get a hit in on her. She continued to dodge him as well, moving gracefully and easily, one step ahead. With a growl, Ito summoned a large bolt of lightning and shot it at Kaori the moment she finally landed. Kaori dropped her whip and calmly stuck out her hands to catch it.

"Can she do that?!" Yusuke asked. Yoko found himself involuntarily taking a step forward before he caught himself.

Kaori smirked as fire erupted from her hands. Hitashi's eyes grew as he watching Ito's entire attack get swallowed by a large eruption of fire. Ito gaped as he saw his entire attack get swallowed whole just before the fire evaporated and Kaori smiled at him.

"I remember that," Kurogane said wistfully. Yoko, Yusuke, and Hitashi turned to look at him. "That was when she was with us. She fought off a lot of Konajiru's attacks by countering. She possesses a lot of stamina."

"I had no idea she was a fire demon," Hitashi said.

"A fire kitsune," Yoko said with a smile. "Kaori is full of surprises."

Kaori reached for her whip and Ito lunged at her again. She rolled out the way in time, spinning away from him while replacing the rose in her hair. As Ito came at her again, she suddenly dropped and swept out his feet. Before he hit the ground she caught him and twisted, pinning him face down in the ground with his arms pinned in his back.

"You've been beaten," she said into his ear. "I already have one by my side, though you are very good at flattery."

She stood and pulled him up, though his eyes never softened when he looked at her. "Beaten by a vixen," he mumbled, turning and disappearing with a crack of thunder. Kaori blinked at him, looking to the group as the other two demons left as well. Hitashi looked slightly annoyed, but smiled warmly at Kaori.

"That was a very interesting display you three put on," he said. "Ito needed to be put in his place, and I thank you Kaori for doing it so gracefully."

"I didn't mean to," she said. "I just wanted a spar and he was too nice and-"

"It was a very good fight," Hitashi laughed. "Would you like to retire to your rooms for the evening?"

"Definitely," Yusuke said with a yawn. "First thing tomorrow, we check out the King and his health and anyone with direct contact to him and the family."

"Very good, detective," Kurogane said with a grin. Yusuke returned it, patting him on the back. Yoko smiled, wrapping an arm around Kaori and walking with the group back into the castle. He looked up at the many windows with lights off or slowly darkening. He watched one in particular as the curtain feel back down into place and whoever had been watching retire for the evening as well.


	9. Remember

Heh...so yeah...

My summer's been a party. Chilled with my boyfriend a lot, did a lot of swimming, and moved my sister into her new place. Basically, I wasn't home a lot, and then my LAPTOP decided that it wanted to BREAK so I got a new one!

I am sorry that I didn't update all summer, so I made this chapter twice as long as usual. I dunno if the length makes up for it, but I hope the content at least helps. I've been getting a lot of hits on my other stories, and I appreciate everybody sticking around as long as you have. I'll tell you now though, Junior Year in college isn't looking like a cakewalk. But hey, if you're not busy, you're not doing anything.

Read and Review, loves. It will be greatly appreciated. If all goes well, my next update will be before November. Enjoy.

**Chapter 9**

The king coughed and wheezed for the third time as Kaori gave him another drink of water. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but you must remain hydrated," Kaori said, allowing him to lean back against his pillow once again.

"I understand, my dear," he said, coughing and patting her hand with a small smile. "I do appreciate what you two are trying to do."

"It is no real trouble, Your Highness," Yoko said, opening up one of the medical kits that was prepared for him. He pulled out a thermometer as well as a leaf from his own bag. He placed the leaf on the end of the thermometer before placing it in the kings mouth. "This leaf is very moist and produces an enzyme that will soothe your cough."

The king nodded gratefully and sat back, still patting Kaori's hand like a grandfather who was thinking back to the time of being that age. Though he looked even more tired than the previous day, his eyes looked warmer, brighter due to the new company he received and, most importantly, the return of his son.

After a few minutes, Kaori pulled out the thermometer, raising her eyebrows at the temperature. "Ninety degrees, Fahrenheit," she read. "Is that normal for a lightning demon?"

Yoko tilted his head, thinking. "I've heard them being around one hundred," he thought aloud. "Fire kitsunes are rarely below one-o'-five, and I don't expect lightning demons to be much different." He turned to look to the other occupant of the room.

"We usually are around one hundred seven degrees Fahrenheit," Hitashi said from his seat by the foot of the bed. "To have a temperature so low is practically unheard of."

"He is especially weak," Yoko pondered. "His muscles are probably deteriorating, and along with the decreased energy, he's having trouble keeping his body temperature up."

"An increased blood flow would get more oxygen and nutrients to grow stronger," Kaori said, wiping a few drops of water off of the king's chin. "Have you been eating or having trouble breathing?"

"Small meals mostly," sighed the king. "The air is thin but I manage."

"Lower altitude means more oxygen content," Kaori said. She turned to Hitashi. "Can we get a list of foods he can eat and cannot?"

"Then we'd be able to supplement his diet to improve his strength and, hopefully, increase his proportions to normal size," Yoko added.

"Of course," Hitashi said. "I will also prepare a party to escort him out of the city and down to the main land."

"Thank you, Lord Hitashi," Kaori said with a smile and a small bow. Hitashi smiled in return, bowed to Yoko, and left the room. The king let out a couple coughs before lying back against the pillow. "Pu could give him a ride down. I'm sure we can all protect him from anything around that would mean to cause him harm."

Yoko nodded silently, hand on his chin in thought. He looked back to the king and sighed. "You should get some rest, Your Highness," he said. "We'll be back around lunch, and we'll see if we can start getting you more nutrients and some more air."

"Very well," said the king. He patted Kaori's hand one more time before releasing her and closing his eyes. "I could use a nap."

"Rest well, Your Highness," Kaori smiled. She tucked him in and stood, taking Yoko's arm as the two left the room. They walked the halls in silence for a while. Kaori patiently waited, looking up to Yoko's face occasionally.

"May I help you?" Yoko asked, smiling at Kaori. She shrugged, calmly walking beside him.

"Something's on your mind. I'm just waiting for you to figure it out in your head first, then you can tell me what's up," she said. "Most likely, you're trying to figure out who poisoned the king."

"And what makes you think he was poisoned?" Yoko asked, pausing by the great hall.

Kaori turned to face him, serious as she looked him in the eye. "His temperature's too low for him to not want to eat. He should be starving, not losing his appetite. Plus, he's been sick mysteriously for years, which is impossible for any natural ailment. The only reason he hasn't died is because it would cause political turmoil, especially with the kingdom divided over who the next ruler should be."

"So the question remains, who would want to poison him?" Yoko asked, leaning back against the wall. "It's possible that Kurogane could've done it before he left, but he'd need someone to continue to slip the king small doses while he was away."

"But what heir-apparent would poison his father while he ran away from home and his kingdom?" Kaori continued. "Hitashi has his supporters, and being the next in line and the only one here would give him motive."

"But he wouldn't seek out the one person who would rule in his stead, closing his path to the throne," Yoko sighed.

"So he and Kuro are innocent!" Kaori said, pumping her fist proudly. "That should be a relief, not a burden to solving our mystery." Yoko raised an eyebrow. Kaori brushed him off. "Yeah, Yusuke called him Kuro this morning and it stuck. Don't judge me."

Yoko chuckled, and would've said something more, but the door to the great hall opened, putting Yoko behind it and Kaori face to face with the queen. She instantly straightened up and then curtsied. "Good afternoon, Highness."

"Good afternoon," the queen replied. "I'm sorry my dear, what was your name again?"

"Kaori, my lady," she replied with a bow.

"Ah, yes, Kaori." The queen's eyes narrowed slightly. "I've heard that you wish to take my husband down to the rest of Demon world today."

"Yes, my lady. The thicker air will make it easier for him to breathe and-"

"And make it easier for him to be attacked," the queen interrupted. "I'm not stupid, vixen. I know about Yoko Kurama and his infamous band of thieves. He'd love to take down a kingdom for himself, wouldn't he?"

Kaori took a step back in shock, eyes growing large. "Why would you think that we'd come here to do harm to the king? Hitashi asked us to come back with Kurogane."

"And you're just his merry band of followers then? Or are you trying to seduce your way to the throne as well?"

"Excuse me?" Kaori said, eyes narrowing.

"You kitsunes are all alike," she spat. "It's a miracle Hitomi was isolated from your kind before she was tainted as well. I have my eyes on you, Kaori, and your little thief too."

"Then I hope you're enjoying what you see," Yoko said. The queen jumped and spun around, a ball of electricity on her palm. Only then did she notice him watching her with a small amused smirk playing on his lips.

"How dare you sneak up on me!" she growled.

"I've been here the whole time, highness," Yoko said with a small bow. "I can assure you, my clan has been dismantled for years, and we have no interest in stealing a kingdom from you or your husband. Do not let such thoughts trouble you. It's very unbecoming of a lady_._"

The queen glared at Yoko before turning and walking away, her head high. Kaori chuckled, finally pulling Yoko's gaze from the retreating queen.

"Looks like we found suspect number 1!" she grinned.

99999999999999999^_^9999999999999999

Ayame opened her eyes and stretched, stopping when a sting in her back made her reconsider. She vaguely recognized that she wasn't in her house anymore, and sat up, looking around for a clue to what happened. She saw Hiei sitting in the window, and decided, if anyone could tell her what happened, he could.

"Those demons that form the portals arrived. You were poisoned, but since you're awake, I'd say you survived. Congratulations," Hiei said, not even bothering to turn and look at her.

"Oh," she said, blinking. "But-"

"We're at Kurama's house. Koenma wanted us to stay here, because he didn't want to move you before you were conscious. When you're up to traveling, we're going to the Spirit World to talk to that human and his sister, and to keep you safe and my blade clean."

Ayame blinked again. "Oh. Um, sure. Well, do-"

"No, I do _not_ want to get that meat lover's pizza. I already ate."

"That poor squirrel."

Hiei cut his eyes at Ayame, who stuck her tongue out at him. "I do know how to cook food, onna."

"And I can open my mouth and ask my questions without you preempting me," Ayame replied as she swung her feet around to the floor and stood, shakily, on her own. "Now, why did I have to be conscious to go through the spinning vortex of doom?"

Hiei stood, turning back to the window. "Your body would still react to travelling between worlds, and the strain from the poison was already weakening you. He didn't want you to go into shock."

Ayame nodded and walked over next to Hiei. "Ready to go?" With a grunt, he picked her up and jumped out the window. He couldn't help but smirk as she shrieked from the fall and latched onto his neck.

When they arrived at Koenma's office, Masuyo, and Shigure were sitting and waiting with him. Hiei set Ayame down or her feet before flitting over to the window, staring out, bored already.

"Good to see you're alright, Ayame," Koenma said with a smile.

"Thanks," she said, sitting next to Masuyo. "So what's up, Koenma?"

"As you know, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kaori are in Demon world with Hitashi and Kurogane," he said. "Kuwabara is currently helping Botan find information on this Lightning Kingdom as we speak."

"So why are we sitting here?" Shigure asked, seemingly as bored as Hiei.

"Because I want to know more about you and your sister," Koenma said.

"So why are we here?" Ayame asked.

"Because I want to know more about your attackers and what they know about Kurogane."

"My brother and I have lived in that house since we were born," Masuyo said. "Our parents were very spiritually aware, and often visited Master Genkai's shrine before she shut it down to visitors. My brother was born with a very high spiritual ability, while I had next to none. He began using it while still in diapers, much to the dismay of our mother." Ayame chuckled, Masuyo smiling at her.

"I purified my energy a few years ago, when more low level demons snuck into the Human world and caused possessions," Shigure said. "I became the youngest successful exorcist in Japan, possibly the world, while at the same time keeping my sister safe from demons that go after her medicines and historical collection."

"What kind of historical collection?" Hiei asked, without turning away from the window.

"Documents, records, a few centuries worth of family trees, kingdoms, and interactions between the three worlds," Masuyo said. "Anything really that would affect us here."

"Do you have anything about the lightning kingdom?" Ayame asked.

"I'm sure there is something," Masuyo said.

"You're not planning on helping out this Demon King are you?" Shigure asked.

"I plan on doing what is necessary to uphold justice," Koenma said. "They will not get off the hook so easily, and I will find how they managed to get in and out of my Palace."

"You were gonna let Kurogane go though, right?" Ayame asked. "I mean, he was going to get released."

"Yes, but he was broken out before his release," Koenma said sternly. "More information needed to be known, and look what happened!"

"Though if he was released, none of this would be happening," Hiei said boredly.

"Don't you dare question my judgment!" Koenma snapped.

"No one's questioning," Ayame defended. "You did what you had to do, but it's unfortunate that he couldn't get released to save you all of this hassle."

"Exactly," Koenma said, keeping a sharp eye turned to Hiei. "Hopefully I won't have to deal with anyone else accordingly."

Hiei hn'd once before looking out the window once more. Koenma definitely didn't like people going around him, but there was something about Kurogane that he was looking for-and possibly found-when he was interrupted by his escape. _I wonder what Kurama would be able to find,_ he mused. Koenma was meanwhile dishing out orders.

"Ayame, I want you and Hiei to back with Shigure and Masuyo and get her information on the lightning kingdom. We will compare it to the records that Kuwabara and Botan are putting together. I want that family tree, and I want to know who they deal with," he said sternly.

"Yes, sir," Ayame said standing. She looked to Hiei, who held her eyes for just a second. Something was going on behind the scenes, and he wanted to figure it out. Lucky for him, so did she.

999999999999999=^_^=99999999999999

"Are you sure this is…safe?" Hitomi asked. Yoko and Yusuke pulled the king up on to the back of Pu, while Hitashi and Kurogane supported him from below. He was wrapped in a thick blanket, but put in a spare tunic of Yoko's so his royal blood would not be suspected.

"Of course!" Kaori said. "Pu is very safe, and there's no way he'd let anything happen to your father. And everyone's been trained in fighting, so no one will even get close to the king."

"Kurogane, stay here until your energy returns and you can protect yourself," Yoko said. "The heir has just returned, and we cannot take you away from the safety of your people."

Kurogane nodded, gripping his father's hand once before stepping back out of the way of Pu's huge wing span. The king smiled to his son before leaning back against Kaori and closing his eyes. Yusuke sat in front of him, facing the two with his back against Pu's neck. Yoko climbed on behind Kaori, holding on to her tightly to ensure the king wouldn't move.

"My men will be monitoring your surroundings," Hitsashi said, handing Yusuke a small earpiece. "We'll let you know if any demons approach your location."

"Sweet," Yusuke said. "We'll be back in about an hour."

"That should be plenty of time to fill his lungs and check his breathing," Yoko assured Hitomi, who looked on the verge of tears.

"Do take care of yourselves," she said, holding Yoko's eye. "All of you."

"Of course," Kaori smiled while Yoko averted his gaze. "Now let's get this trip started!"

Pu unfolded his wings and flapped a few times to get himself off of the ground. The gusts of wind were still enough to make Hitomi and Kurogane shield their eyes and for Hitashi to take a step back. Pu glided off the edge, descending as slow as possible so as not to startle the king or put him into shock with the sudden excess of oxygen.

As Pu landed in a small clearing, Yusuke hopped off to make sure the area was secure. "Everything looks alright," he said. He put in his earpiece and added a bit of energy, the battery for his device. "Hey Hitashi, everything looks good."

"Good," came the reply. "There are a few low levels passing by, so be careful in case they try to investigate."

"Right," Yusuke answered. He turned to see Kaori lowering the king into Yoko's arms before hopping off herself.

"Thanks for the ride, Pu!" she said, hugging the Spirit Beast. He 'pu'd,' nuzzling against her before she turned back to the king, now resting against a tree. He took a few breaths, then another one, deeper. "How are you feeling, Highness?"

"Breathing is easier," he sighed, filling his lungs once again. "The air is heavy, but fuller."

"The decrease in altitude should be better for your lungs," Yoko said, pulling out his case with thermometer. "Would you like to try any food?"

"Not quite yet. I haven't breathed like this in years, and I would like to enjoy it just a bit longer." Kaori smiled at him and nodded. He opened his mouth to take the thermometer from Yoko and continued to relax. Kaori turned to Yusuke, who was standing on a large rock and looking off towards the west.

"Do you sense something?" She asked. Yusuke could only shrug before his communicator went off. He tossed it to Kaori, not pulling his eyes away from the horizon. Kaori flipped it open and greeted Hiei with a smile.

"Where are you?" Hiei asked.

"Below the lightning kingdom," Kaori said. "We brought the king down so he could breathe easier. Where are you?"

"Hn. Masuyo's home. I'm on the roof. Where's Yoko?"

"With the king."

"Great," Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes. "Look, Koenma's looking for something. I don't know what. Something is amiss, and Shigure is a bit too eager to help. Have Kurama contact me if you find anything out of the ordinary, before you tell Koenma if at all possible. I'd hate for this whole mission to be ruined by a toddler and his new lacky. Be careful."

"Thanks," Kaori nodded. "Keep your eyes open over there. I doubt Koenma wants you helping us to not help him."

Hiei nodded before closing the communicator and landing in the front yard. Ayame was standing patiently in the doorway, awaiting his return. "What's bothering you?" she asked.

"Who swiped Kurogane's memory," he replied, heading back towards the library where Masuyo and Shigure were sorting papers and books. "Something's missing."

Meanwhile, Kaori filled Yusuke in on Hiei's call. "Interesting," he said, finally looking away from the spot that held his attention. "Maybe Koenma sent someone to watch us from a distance, make sure nothing's going amiss."

"I doubt it," Kaori said, looking back to Yoko and the king. The two were talking casually about medicines, demon world, the weather, human world, and, in particular Kurogane. Kaori walked over to join the pair, contemplating how to tell Kurama about Hiei's message.

"I had no idea he had met up with Konajiru," the king said. "He came to visit me often, telling me about his growing experiences with different types of demons, and he said he planned to bring that knowledge to our people so we would be less isolated, if only in our views."

"The first time we faced Konajiru, he was not with him," Yoko said. "It must have been afterwards. I'm sure allowing Konajiru to take over was never part of his plan. It would mean the loss of his own kingdom as well."

"I'm fairly sure Konajiru wouldn't have found us on his own," the king said thoughtfully. "He is no longer a threat, correct?"

"Are you kidding?" Kaori said, jumping on Yoko's back. "This guy totally took him out with Kuro and it was aweso-WAH!" Easily, Yoko flipped Kaori around and caught her in his arms with a grin.

"And how would you know?" He asked. "Last I recall, you were off with Yusuke and Kuwabara."

"Kurogane TOLD me," Kaori said, sticking her tongue out and freeing herself from his grasp. "You two had a really good amount of team work going I hear." She dusted herself off and sat on the ground between the two, petting Pu while he rested his head in her lap.

"You remind me a lot of my son," the king said to Yoko. "I'm sure you would complement each other very well in a fight."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Yoko said, bowing slightly.

"No, I must thank the three of you," the king said, sitting up a bit straighter. "You have returned my son to me, and are working steadfastly to restore my health. I am eternally grateful to all of you."

Yusuke opened his mouth to speak, but paused when his earpiece buzzed. "Go," he said.

"We have a large number of low levels moving in on your position," Hitashi said. "They came out of nowhere."

"And apparently, now we're gonna have to fight for you too," Yusuke said, hopping off the rock and pulling out his earpiece. "There's a group of them, coming from the west, and definitely heading this way."

"Holding back our energy to remain hidden or letting loose?" Kaori asked, standing and tying up her hair immediately. Pu moved a wing over the king, shielding him from view and any attacks.

"Too late to hide now," Yoko said, pulling out a rose and charging at the first demon that landed in the clearing, brandishing a sword. It slashed, but he jumped over its head, cutting it in pieces with his whip. A second arrived and Yusuke greeted him with a few punches and a swift kick in the gut. Two more landed, one heading for Kaori and the second the King. Kaori kicked through hers, and then clothes-lined the second with a nearby tree branch. Yusuke fired at him once, disintegrating him on contact.

This sort of fighting continued, as small groups of demons came and were dispatched. "I don't like this," Yoko said, slicing through one with his blade.

"Too many with no chance," Kaori said, forming her bamboo sword and cutting through two of her own, saving her fire for a more desperate moment.

"It has to be a distraction," Yusuke said, using his shotgun to clear out a handful of demons that were just clearing the trees.

"Kaori, you have better defenses," Yoko said, whipping out a small death tree to keep a pair at bay. "Protect Pu_._"

Kaori only hesitated for a moment before she nodded. She leapt over a fallen tree and knelt before the spirit beast and the king who hid under his wing.

"I can fight," the king said, but Kaori shook her head.

"You are more important than a few bruises on us," she said, pulling a few seeds out of her dress. "What you need is to rest up and stay safe. Keep your energy down and leave the rest to us. One impenetrable defense, coming up." Kaori put the seeds to the ground, and with a surge of energy, five separate ojikis sprouted mouths wide and waiting. They encircled Pu and the king, making him gasp.

"What are they?" he asked.

"Plants that usually rely on movement to sense their prey," Kaori said, eyes closed. "I'm concentrating on you, Yusuke, and Yoko. Anything else that gets close is food."

"Impressive."

Yusuke and Yoko turned to the rock that Yusuke had been using to observe earlier. A tall figure in a dark robe stood there, watching everything calmly. Long deep red tresses framed his face, while his cold calculating gold eyes were trained on the plants. "Protecting your means of retreat was very wise of you," he continued. "However, you must come with me."

"Why should we listen to you?" Yusuke asked, fist clenched.

"Because your options are compliance or death," the stranger replied calmly.

"How bout I just beat your face in?" Yusuke said, charging before Yoko could stop him. He leapt at the demon, fist glowing and ready for impact. The demon simply raised a hand and Yusuke was thrust instantly back to the ground with a thud.

Yoko tensed, feeling the wave of energy as it passed and Yusuke sat up rubbing his shoulder. "You do realize you should never charge at an opponent you know nothing about, correct?" Yoko said, eyes fixed on the demon.

"Yeah, I've never actually understood that logic," Yusuke said, wiping off the side of his mouth. "I mean, how am I supposed learn anything unless I get my hands dirty?"

"Very interesting philosophy," the demon smirked, hopping off the rock and landing gracefully on the ground in front of them. "You could always send in others before you to be the…I believe they call them guinea pigs in the Human World, yes?"

"Or Detectives," Yoko said with a small smirk.

"Hey!" Yusuke protested. "Can we stop it with the jokes and get on to business? Who are you and what do you want?"

"The two of you, the bird, and the girl left the Lightning Kingdom. Why?"

"I don't like heights," Yusuke said, arms crossed. "Now what's your name?"

"Takeshi," he replied. Kaori turned and peeked out, eyeing the intruder as he spoke. "So, who invited you to the lightning kingdom?"

"Why do you ask?" Yoko questioned. "Surely you've been paying close attention to the kingdom to know who comes and goes. Are you trying to gauge our willingness, or do you merely have that many holes in your reconnaissance?"

Takeshi's eyes narrowed, a glare hardening at the kitsune who didn't flinch or bat an eye. Gold met gold in a silent battle for dominance, before Takeshi spoke again. "You will come with me."

"For what purpose?" Yoko asked.

"Because you will give me the information I need, or you will die first among your kingdom," was Takeshi's reply.

"Whoa whoa whoa what?" Kaori shouted, hopping out of her Ojiki wall. "You can't just come and take him hostage! It's not like he can give you anything!"

"Would you rather go instead, my out-spoken little vixen?" Takeshi asked, finally shifting his gaze from Yoko's. "I'm sure we can throw in a bit more torture for you, since you can give us more information." Kaori growled in response, making Takeshi smile. "Two kitsunes and a hybrid don't seem normal travelers to a kingdom of close minded lightning demons."

"Look, either talk, or try to take me," Kaori said, walking up between Yoko and Yusuke. "I'm sure they'd love to interrogate you upstairs, and Yoko could give you some hair care treatment."

"So the rumors of him pampering himself with the best of Makai are true," Takeshi mused.

"As will the rumors of your death, very soon, be," Yusuke grinned. Kaori fought back a laugh as he shot her a glare. "Hey! That was a good one and you know it!"

"Focus!" Yoko shouted, jumping in the air as Takeshi fired a large blast of energy at the trio. Kaori pulled Yusuke out of the way of the first shot, and the two dove separate ways for the second. Kaori slid to her feet and charged at Takeshi, making him put up his hand again and push a wave of energy at her. Kaori cartwheeled, forcing energy into the ground and a tree to sprout up in front of her. It took the brunt of the attack, while Kaori leapt through and kicked Takeshi in the cheek.

He flew back, colliding with a dozen trees before finally sliding to a halt with a scowl. "Nice!" Yusuke cheered. Yoko came up behind Kaori, eyes never leaving Takeshi.

"Very good, my dear," Takeshi said, venom dripping from his voice. "At least we know why Konajiru put so much faith in you before his…untimely end."

Kaori's eyes narrowed while Yoko's grew for a fraction of a second. "What did you just say?" he asked. In a moment, Takeshi was immediately in front of the pair, making both tense and step back. Yusuke jumped up next to Kaori, pulling up his finger and aiming that Takeshi.

"Konajiru was the most ambitious of us all," Takeshi continued. "He figured that they two of you could take over Demon World easily. The rest of us weren't so sure, which was why we formed the coalition in the first place. We wanted you to join us, while Konajiru tried to prove your superiority."

"Well she ain't joining you, so back off!" Yusuke growled.

"You all are invited," Takeshi said, slowing walking around the three. They kept their attention on him, not letting him get behind any one of them. "Sure, Kaori is the strongest physically, but there is hardly a demon alive that doesn't know of the cunning Yoko Kurama, or the spearheaded heir of Raizen. With the Lightning Kingdom as an impenetrable fortress, there would be nothing to stop us."

"That's why Konajiru recruited him," Kaori said, crossing her arms with a glare.

"Except the lightning demons want nothing to do with you," Yoko added. Takeshi stopped walking, pausing between the three and Pu, who still was guarded by ojiki.

"That is why we would like you to be our diplomat," Takeshi said. "I'm Kurogane would love such an endeavor, keeping his people safe and above all the lower types of demons. It will be his decision to make, as well as yours, when his father finally dies." With that, he disappeared in a flash, as did the bodies of his fallen troops.

Kaori, Yusuke, and Yoko stood in silence, still alert and attentive. Kaori turned and, with a wave of her hand, the ojiki receded into the ground. Pu raised his head and his wing, revealing the king, who looked vexed.

"Coalition?" He asked.

"How did they know who we were?" Yusuke asked. Almost immediately, his earpiece buzzed, making him jump before pulling it out and answering. "Yeah?"

"Where have you been!" Hitashi asked, sounding frantic. "There were hoards of demons and then nothing! Is my father ok?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Yusuke said, walking over to Pu. "They didn't even know he was here. We're on our way back up."

"Come as quickly as possible," Hitashi instructed before Yusuke took out his earpiece again.

"Let's get a move on, boys and girls," he sighed. "Things are definitely getting interesting."

"Are you alright my dear?" the King asked Kaori as she and Yoko helped him up to Pu. She gave him a weak smile and a nod.

"Did you recognize him?" Yoko asked. Kaori was quiet for a bit, not answering until Pu had taken off and all of them were back in the lightning kingdom, much to Hitomi and Hitashi's pleasure. It wasn't until the King was back in his room and Yusuke was off for his daily nap that Kaori finally spoke again.

"I knew his name," Kaori sighed, walking into her room. Yoko followed, standing in the doorway.

"From where?" he asked. Kaori stopped, her back to him.

"Konajiru's club."

"You met Takeshi in Konajiru's club?" Yoko asked.

"Takeshi was the one who told me about you."

Yoko and Kaori turned around to meet Kurogane's downcast eyes. "If he knows you're here, then there is going to be trouble."

Kaori slowly walked towards him, but stopped short. "Does this mean...?"

"...I remember."


	10. Cover

It's been a long time...Since September apparently. Sorry this is turning into an update a semester. Stupid higher level courses...I will have you know that I'm alive and well and still writing (just not doing my readings for my assignments apparently).

This chapter is just about as long as my last one though, which is about double my 'standard.' I kinda like these longer ones though, cause there's a lot more content and I don't have to end them at the worst spots!

Now, I did intent this story-initially-to be a bonding fic for Kurama and Kaori, I just got all these other epic ideas to go along with so it's not all mushy-gushy-i love you. However, there's probably going to be more mushy-gushy later, with a small hint in here. I don't plan on writing them 'doing it' in here, so don't expect too much from the love scenes. I'm sure they'll have to eventually, which is either going to be in the end of this story, or-GASP- in another sequel. I'm leaning towards that first one, cause I feel bad dragging things out for you guys.

Anywho, on with the reading! I've missed you guys! Please read and review! ^_^

**Chapter 10**

"Thanks," Hiei said, before closing his communicator.

"Well?" Ayame said. "That seemed like a long conversation."

"There's another demon who worked with Konajiru," Hiei explained. "Kaori remembers his name, but hasn't seen his face, until today."

"He showed up?" Ayame asked, turning in her seat by the window. Hiei, the current occupant of said window, nodded his head, before his eyes narrowed towards the doorway.

"There's no point in hiding," he snapped. "I know you've been there."

"So why are you hiding information from Koenma?" Shigure asked from the other side of the opening, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Who says I'm hiding anything?" Hiei asked, standing and walking to the door.

"Oh, I'm sure that demon chick's calling Koenma right now to tell him everything she told you," Shigure said sarcastically. "Did she need your permission first?"

"Yes, she's calling Koenma now," Hiei said, pausing for a moment. "She called here so we'd have a new name to search for."

"Good cover," Shigure muttered, rolling his eyes.

"What makes you think I'd need a cover to disobey Koenma?" Hiei said, smirking as he walked outside. "It's funny how you humans take so much pride in your 'rules.' You're just about as deluded as Spirit World." With that, Hiei flicked away, leaving Shigure with a scowl and Ayame to sigh.

"I don't trust him," Shigure said, looking towards the kitchen where Masuyo sat pouring through volumes.

"You don't really have a choice," Ayame said, standing and walking over to Shigure. "We're in this together, and no matter how much you dislike him, he doesn't want the human world to fall to a demon uprising either."

"Why not? I'm sure that was his plan once not too long ago." Shigure stood up straight and headed to the kitchen.

"And that's exactly why you need to trust him!"

Shigure turned back with a raised eyebrow. Ayame glared at him with her hands clinched into fists. "Hiei is honorable, and if he gave up taking over the human world, then he gave it up. He wouldn't sit and let someone else try to take down what he wanted to keep, especially if his friends get hurt in the cross fire. If anything, you're getting in the way by questioning every single move we make. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a human too, and so are Yusuke and Kuwabara. We're all in this together, and we trust Hiei, Kurama and Kaori with our lives." With that, Ayame stormed past him into the kitchen, feeling Shigure's eyes on her back.

"Could you pass me the volume to your left?" Masuyo asked as soon as she stepped in the door.

"Sure," Ayame said, grabbing the large book and setting it on the floor in front of where the other woman sat. She was half hidden by the stacks of closed and open books, some with papers marking pages, others simply sat open to an image or highlighted text. "I'm guessing you found some information?"

"Not as much as I had hoped," Masuyo replied, opening the newest addition to her circle. "Something's obviously missing and it's being covered up."

"What do you mean?" Ayame sad down and pulled one of the books into her lap. She could still feel Shigure's eyes burning a hole in her back from his new place in the kitchen, but she wasn't planning on acknowledging him anymore that day.

"Pick a passage, any passage about lightning demons at all, and read it aloud."

"Ok," Ayame replied. She skimmed through a few lines before she began to read. "When Raizen began to expand his territory into lands once controlled by lightning demons-"

"They allowed him without resistance, disappearing shortly afterwards," Masuyo finished. "Ten books have that exact same paragraph, word for word. A few have a page and a half of identical text, as if someone's gone through and wrote this all at the same time. It doesn't match the style of any of the books so far, so it must have been inserted by another author."

"Do we know if this information is factual or a cover up for what really happened?" Ayame asked, opening another book and finding the same passage of Raizen's expansion.

"I'm hoping this book will tell me," Masuyo said, slowly turning the pages. "It's one of the oldest we keep here. There are only a few books older in the human world, and they're kept in a secure location."

"So if these books have all been tampered with, what does it mean?" Ayame asked.

"Koenma may have a bigger problem than Hiei," Shigure said before leaving the two women behind.

00110001 00110000 00001101 00001010 (binary! ^_^) 00110001 00110000 00001101 00001010

"Takeshi was there?" Kurogane asked, eyes hardening. "Did he know about our father?"

"Not that he was there, no," Kaori said. "He does know about his failing health though." She sat at the foot of her bed, legs crossed in front of her and tails wrapping around her body. The dress she wore earlier was now replaced with a short red tunic and black pants. Kurogane leaned against a bed post while Hitashi leaned against the door, looking between the two. Yoko had gone to talk to the king, hoping something would clue them in on this new foe.

"But there's no way he already knew where the kingdom was," Kurogane continued. "None of them ever came here, not even Konajiru."

"Them?" Hitashi asked.

"The group Konajiru was forming," Kaori filled in. "I only remember bits of names, places I was sent to before the Human World. Takeshi's was the next place I was supposed to go. I thought he was another human."

"He wanted me to join to ensure the safety of our kinds, both lightning demons and kitsunes, and other 'dignified species,' as he said," Kurogane said. "I had been traveling around and studying many types and classes of demons across the plane, as well as searching out possible allies in case we'd ever need to leave our kingdom."

"Why would we need to?" Hitashi asked, gaze leveling at his brother. Kurogane met his gaze with even intensity.

"Rumors had begun to spread about it, as the perfect location to rule. I don't know which of our ambassadors bragged about its perfection, but word spread fast. Trouble was brewing now that the three lower kingdoms were dismantled, but any attempts at gaining power were put down quickly. Having a fortress that was impossible to locate or successfully attack would be the only way to systematically take over without being cornered on all sides."

"And that's why Konajiru recruited you?" Kaori asked. Kurogane nodded.

"He found me a year or so ago. He originally wanted an alliance, promising to leave the kingdom be, only using it as a base. Though he promised the autonomy of our people, I did not trust him or his motives," he explained, walking over and sitting on a trunk. "Then he told me about the growing coalition, demons who did not enjoy Rekai interfering with Makai matters. He figured that, with our history, we'd be quick to agree."

"What history?" Kaori asked.

"Before there was a barrier between the three worlds, lightening demons had the quickest access to and from the Spirit World," the king said. Yoko adjusted a pillow, allowing him to sit up straighter and clear his airways. Then he sat back in his chair beside the bed, Hitomi sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her father's hand as he spoke. "It was an 'honor' for our kind to then to be the liaisons to Makai."

"Runners for their messages?" Yoko asked.

"And the voice of King Enma," he added. "It was more of a chore than a position, and most times we went with complaints. Hunger, oppression from the Spirit Defense Force, revolts and uprisings that needed a mediator, all were given to us to take to Spirit World. Of course, frustration from their lack of sufficient response put us in hot water with them. Eventually, we took matters into our own hands and began solving disputes under the pretense of Rekai backing."

"Did this alleviate troubles?" Yoko asked, his interest piqued. It was not often that stories older than he were told, and even less often that a credible source would be the one sharing the information.

"Very much so," the king said with a small smile. "It was assumed that we were born leaders, though I'm sure there is a bit of bias. But surprisingly, things were settled fairly and quickly, which left some unhappy parties, but a general feeling of rightness."

"Until?" Yoko asked.

"Until Enma found out," Hitomi said, a small glare forming. "He didn't feel it was right that demons should have such a strong voice when it was his duty to rule all."

"They sent a few squads in and all but annihilated our people," the king said, closing his eyes. "Many men were slaughtered, women and children cut down. Of course many fled, but when word spread that we were governing the Makai, there was some resistance to us from demons who felt they were denied the chance to rule."

"Both sides ignored the good you had done for them," Kaori said sadly, looking between the two brothers who nodded.

"Our kind survived, but there was little mixing with others," Kurogane said. "There had not been much before, but now all hopes were lost with much of Makai turning on us."

"It was not long before it turned into chaos, turmoil, and a power struggle," Hitashi said. "The Kekai barrier was than constructed to contain as many of us as possible. Later, powerful demons began taking over, splitting into kingdoms with loyalists to each side."

"Raizen, Mukuro, and Yomi," Yoko said. The King nodded.

"Raizen was the first, and surprisingly felt sympathy for our kind. We were never forced to submit to him, and were treated as guests, since we had felt the harshest direct treatment from Enma. Soon after his expansion, a few men of fighting age assisted him as scouts and recon soldiers, alerting him to intrusions and skirmishes around his territory."

"I am sure his kingdom would not have grown so quickly had it not been for your assistance," Yoko said with a small smile.

"We are sure of it," the king said. "It was a few years later that a few of our elders decided that we leave his service, before a blow was dealt to our people once more. They suggested the construction of our current kingdom, isolated from much of Makai and hidden from Enma and his watchful eye. Though Raizen was disappointed, he allowed us to leave if we chose, and himself came to aid in the construction. He was one of the few souls outside of our kind who knew the location of our kingdom, but rarely visited to ensure our detachment."

"Where is his heir anyway?" Hitomi asked. "He came back with you all, correct?"

Yoko chuckled. "He was supposed to call Keiko yesterday, so I'm sure he's getting an earful for making her worry," he said. "She is his mate, and gets quite upset with him, since he's already died twice."

The king laughed, while Hitomi's mouth opened wide. "That is a story he must share with us soon," the king said before he coughed and sighed. "Perhaps after dinner. I feel tired after all of this excitement."

"We must let you rest, father," Hitomi said, squeezing his hand before standing.

"But we have not figured out how this Takeshi found our kingdom," he said. "I want these detectives to know everything we do so we're all on the same pag-" the coughing fit returned and interrupted his sentence, making him sigh and lean back exhausted.

"I will fill him in, father," Hitomi said, rubbing his shoulder as he calmed down.

"And I will see what information Kurogane and Kaori have, Your Highness," Yoko said. "I appreciate you filling us in. I will return the favor after you have rested."

"Thank you, Yoko," he said, closing his eyes and taking as deep of a breath as he could manage. "We will discuss the matter after dinner."

"Very good, father," Hitomi smiled, leading Yoko out of the room. She shut the door and sighed, resting her head against it.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Yoko asked. Hitomi smiled, turning to look at him.

"I'm fine, thank you," she said. "I just long for the old days, when my father was in top health." She turned around and leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, the same half smile on her face. "He used to tell me story of the old days, about his battles and victories, about when Kuro was little and our mother. Then, when Hitashi was born, I got to tell him stories with father, about how amazing our kingdom was and what an awesome big brother we had."

Yoko watched her calmly, hanging onto her words with expectation, but remaining reserved, just as he knew she was. A small bead of sweat had formed on her brow and she wiped it away with little thought. "Did he feel any resentment to the two of you for having a different mother?" he asked, looking down the hall and out a window. The sky was always dark in the Makai, but the changing clouds meant that it was getting late by Human World standards.

"None at all," Hitomi said, looking up at him without moving from the wall. "I was young when my father married the queen, and she filled in for the mother I never had. There was no difference between me and Hitashi, save my ears and tail of course."

"Of course," Yoko added, noticing a second drop of sweat running down Hitomi's neck.

"Of course Kuro was the best big brother anyone could ask for," she continued, eyes on Yoko's as his travelled down to the collar of her shirt, snapping back up to her face. She fought back a smile as her eyes drifted shut again. "He never treated Hitashi any differently, especially since he could hide his ears and tail at a young age. They would go out looking the same, so Hitashi never felt left out, and inside they would pop out so I was included too. What was best for everyone was always what Kuro wanted all the time."

"So not much had changed," Yoko said, suddenly uncomfortable. Hitomi wiped away at the sweat around her collarbone, eying him as he glanced away to the window.

"I don't think Kuro is capable of not caring for us," Hitomi continued, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes once more. "He was always...Kuro."

"Are you alright?" Yoko asked, walking over to Hitomi and placing a hand on her head. His eyes narrowed instantly. "You're feverish."

"You're freezing," she said, slowly sliding down the wall until Yoko caught her and lifted her into his arms. A chuckled crossed her lips as her head rested against his chest. "Strong though, and such a gentleman."

"Save your energy," Yoko said, quickly heading down towards the hall where they were all residing. The king did not have an infection, so there was no way she caught anything from him. Besides which, her temperature should have dropped instead of risen. Delirium seemed to be setting in, as Hitomi patted him on his chest and giggled. He turned the corner and came to Kaori's room, where he could still hear voices. It was closer than finding Hitomi's own room, so Yoko shifted her in his arms and knocked on the door, already deciding what to do.

"Oh, Yoko," Kurogane said before noticing his sister. "What happened to her?"

"She has a fever," Yoko said, walking past him and laying Hitomi down on the bed. Kaori slid aside and pulled her centered onto the large mattress. "We had just finished speaking to the king, and her temperature began to rise. Go fetch some water and a couple towels."

"Right," Kurogane said, heading out the room at a trot.

"What do you want us to do?" Hitashi asked, feeling his sister's face and surprised at the heat radiating from her. Yoko went into the closet and pulled out a thin gown and a pair of shorts.

"Put these on her so she'll be able to cool down faster," he said, laying them on a chair. "Kaori, you and I are going to make something to break the fever. I'll run to the greenhouse and grab what I can, you just make sure you get the cool compresses ready when Kurogane gets back, and find out what she ate."

"Sure thing," Kaori said, pulling up her hair checking Hitomi's pulse. "Anything you need, I'll make when you get back."

"Thanks," Yoko said, heading out of the room. Hitashi and Kaori carefully undressed her, Kaori more so than Hitashi. They got her into the thinner clothes just as Kurogane returned. Kaori made a compress for Hitomi's head while Hitashi began trying to pat her body dry.

"Why is it so…warm in here?" Hitomi asked groggily.

"You have a bit of a fever," Kaori said. "Did you eat anything out of the ordinary today? Something that could have made you sick?"

Hitomi shook her head slowly, letting it fall on the pillow. "I did steal a taste of dinner," she mumbled, making Hitashi pause. "Soup…There's a side of soup, and I dipped in my finger…too salty."

"Salty?" Kaori said aloud. "Hitashi, go get the chefs, tell all of them to stop with dinner and to bring that soup. No one is to taste it, alright?" He nodded, sprinting out of the room to the kitchen. "Kuro, go in the next room. Kurama has a bag inside with a few syringes and vials. We'll need them for the antidote."

"Right," Kurogano said, heading next door.

"Are you a doctor?" Kaori looked back to Hitomi and smiled. "Not quite. I've just seen a lot of doctors, so I have an idea of what needs to be done. Yoko's a real doctor in the field."

"Experienced?" Hitomi's head lolled again, and Kaori replaced the compress.

"He said he had a lot of lives to save if he wanted to keep the best guys in the business. You learn a few skills when you're an old guy like him." _Gotta keep her talking until we can get this out of her system,_ Kaori thought to herself.

"He is truly amazing," Hitomi sighed. "What I wouldn't give to have him follow me around the way he follows you." Kaori paused, one hand holding the compress to Hitomi's head, the other drying off her arm.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slowly continuing.

"He's a brilliant thief, gorgeous, and one of the greatest fighters I've ever seen. He'd be the perfect kitsune to mate…the perfect demon…and I'm sure he's experienced." A sigh passed Hitomi's lips. "And he's so infatuated with you, I'd believe he'd die before losing someone so precious."

"He's…quite honorable," Kaori said, wringing out the small towel.

"I'd love to see him when he's dishonorable," Hitomi said with a smile, head lolling to the other side. Kaori looked to her with a raised eyebrow as the door opened once more, Yoko walking in with trimmings from a few plants.

"Did you find out what is causing this?" Yoko asked, sitting down the plants and pulling out a plate to crush the leaves.

"Um, she said she stole a taste of soup that's for dinner tonight," Kaori said, eyes still on Hitomi. "Hitashi is bringing a sample. And Kuro went to get your bag."

"Here it is!" he said, coming in and handing it to Yoko.

"Thank you," Yoko said. "Go check on the Queen and others in the castle, see who else tasted the soup in case we need to make more antidote."

"It was the soup?" Kurogane asked. Yoko nodded. With that Kuro left, running towards the Queen's chambers.

"Mom loves soup," Hitomi sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Yoko asked, pausing to place a hand on Kaori's head.

"What? I'm fine," she said, looking confused.

"You're a bit pink, I'm simply making sure you didn't come into contact with anything seeping out her pores," Yoko said.

"Oh! No, nothing like that." Kaori looked back to Hitomi's face, then back to Yoko.

"Did I miss something?"

"Only some interesting conversation brought on by the fever," Kaori said, swapping cold compresses.

"She raised me like a mom, so that counts," Hitomi continued, completely oblivious.

"I see," Yoko said. Hitashi entered with a cup of the soup, and Yoko quickly set to work separating out the toxin. In a little over an hour, he had synthesized an antidote and given it to Hitomi, who had lost consciousness early on.

"Will she be alright?" Hitashi asked, sitting on the side of the bed.

"She will have to sleep it off, but she'll recover," Yoko said, putting his things back in his bag.

"I feel more indebted to you every day," Hitashi said with a small smile.

"Wait til he saves the kingdom and gets you out of trouble with Koenma," Kaori smiled. "His real magic is in a dispute."

Hitashi chuckled as the two headed over to Yoko's room, he himself remaining by his sister's side. Kaori placed her things on the floor while Yoko sat on the foot of the bed. "That was meant for us, you know."

"Of course," Kaori said, sitting next to him.

"But it was a simple poison," Yoko continued to muse.

"So we were supposed to find the cure," Kaori said. "Or it was easiest enough to find so the ones who planted it could cure themselves easily."

"Exactly," Yoko said. "Someone who would be at dinner and expected to eat the soup along with the rest of us."

"Except Hitomi tipped us off."

"Poor girl."

Kaori looked over to Yoko, who was staring at the closed door in front of them. His mind was hardly on the conversation. "She's very nice," Kaori put in.

"Very nice."

"And she cares a great deal about her family."

"Of course."

"And she's hot."

"Uh huh."

"Love to make out with her."

"Yep." Yoko blinked before looking over at Kaori who had a grin on her face. "Wh-"

"You should pay more attention to what you agree too," Kaori chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you just gave me permission to go behind your back with a vixen."

"What? No, I didn't-"

"Either that or you want to go behind mine," Kaori added, a small pout on her face.

"NO!" Yoko said, instantly on his knees in front of her. "I wouldn't! I swear! I just wasn't listening, and of course she's attractive but she's not you and I would NEVER try-" Kaori clapped a hand across his mouth, making Yoko pause and blink once more.

"Calm down," she said. "I know. I just wanted to gauge your interest in her, since she's really interested in you." Yoko's eyes grew slightly, making Kaori put a second hand on top of the first. "I trust you, just relax. I just don't want you to feel trapped if she ever does make a pass at you."

"You're not mad?" Yoko asked, pulling Kaori's hands down. She shook her head with a smile, making Yoko let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank Kami for that." His head dropped in her lap as if he was exhausted.

"Why?" Kaori asked, stroking gently behind his ears and pulling a small purr out of Yoko before he could control himself. "You didn't like my stab at humor while asking a generally valid question?"

"…the last time you thought I had betrayed your trust, it almost killed me," he sighed. _Literally,_ he added to himself. "I don't want you to ever think I'd do something like that to you, as Yoko or Kurama." Kaori paused her massage so he could lift his head to look at her. "I love you, more than this life itself, and though Hitomi is sexually attractive, I would never go behind your back to please a carnal desire because I love you more than that."

Kaori couldn't help but smile at him, resting her hand on his face and stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I already know that, 'Yoko and Kurama'," she said. "And yeah, Hitomi is attractive-"

"And you're not allowed to make out with her unless I get to watch," Yoko said, quite seriously. Kaori couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"We're not making out," she said, calming down. "What I'm saying is, I'm not blind or dumb. I know there are other females out there, and you're going to have carnal desires-it'd be insane for a fox as lovely as yourself to _not_ want to procreate with other lovely foxes-but I'm not going to flip out because of those desires. It would only be you acting on those desires that would hurt me." She pulled Yoko into a hug, his head against her chest and his arms around her waist.

"For the record, I'm not lovely," Yoko said, closing his eyes and holding Kaori tight.

"Oh, please forgive me." Kaori began to rub his ears again, the purr going through her chest as Yoko melted against her. "You're charming and handsome, my dearest Yoko Kurama." All he could muster was a soft moan for a response, his arms falling down Kaori's sides and head tilting so she could get a better reach. Kaori smiled, knowing that the fox on her lap was enjoying sweet bliss. As long as Hitomi didn't try anything, then things would stay just the way they were. She scratched lightly where his ear met his scalp and grinned at the shiver that travelled down Yoko's spine.

He looked up at her with lidded eyes and Kaori paused, waiting for some response. "How do you do these things to me?" Yoko asked softly as he stood and scooped her up into his arms. "You should be careful before another desire gets the best of me." He walked around the bed and laid her in the center. He himself lied next to her, wrapping his arms back around her waist and pulling her close.

"And what desire is that?" Kaori asked, moving a strand of hair away from his face. Yoko kissed her hand before rolling over on top of her, straddling her waist and kissed her lips. Kaori got as far as putting her arms around his neck before suddenly she felt him tickling her sides. She screamed and tried to roll away, but was trapped underneath him. "AAAH! Okay, okay! STOP!"

Yoko smiled down at Kaori, panting and trying to glare at him. _Beautiful._ He kissed her once more before returned to her side and put his head back on her chest, holding her tightly. He kept his eyes closed, knowing she was still trying to glare at him.

"Jerk."

"I love you."

"Yay." Kaori began to pet his ears again. "After dinner, we're going to have to find the person who poisoned the food."

"It was the queen."

"What?" Kaori looked at Yoko with surprise. He didn't even move, his expression remaining calm and relaxed, though Kaori's fingers stopped.

"She doesn't trust us, and would like to get rid of us any way she can. I doubt Hitomi was supposed to sneak a taste."

"But Kurogane went to tell her about the poison! She'll know that we already know!"

"And she won't do anything to him," Yoko said, finally looking up to her. "She will simply know that the plan was spoiled and we now have an antidote for the poison. Dinner should be safe, and I'll carry the vial with me just in case it wasn't only the soup."

"Should we tell Koenma?"

"That the Queen of the Lightning Kingdom is not fond of our presence and would like to kill his detectives?"

Kaori paused and thought for a while. "No, that would make him distrust Hitashi who had nothing to do with it."

A knock on the door was heard, making Yoko roll out of bed and answer. Yusuke met him with a nod and Hitashi bowed slightly in greeting. "I felt you should know, one of our hired demons has returned," he said.

"Those who form portals?" Yoko asked, straightening up. Hitashi nodded.

"Apparently Hiei killed the second one," Yusuke said.

"Ito is with him in the courtyard," Hitashi added. "I figured you'd want to talk to him before dinner."

"Thank you, your Highness," Kaori said, appearing behind Yoko. Yusuke jumped, before pointing an accusing finger.

"What were you two doing?" he asked.

"Hitomi's in my bed, and we just finished saving her life," Kaori smiled, walking out of the room with Yoko. "We'll fill you in on the way."

"Great," Yusuke said. "And why is dinner late? I feel like I'm going to die from hunger!"

Kaori giggled, putting her arm around Yoko's. "You almost did."


	11. Aha

And I'm back! Oh man, 2 updates and it hasn't been three months! I did put off quite a bit of homework to write this up though. Thank God it's Spring Break! My next update will be after both of my papers and next round of midterms I think...unless I decide to put off more work to keep this going. I feel like I'm on a roll writing, and I don't really want to stop. Things are going to get really exciting soon, guys. Hope you stick around for it!

Here we are with the next chapter! Please read and review!

**Chapter 11**

Lord Hitashi opened the door to a small room containing a table with a few chairs around it. He allowed Yusuke, Yoko, and Kaori to pass him and look around the room. "I will bring in the demon momentarily," he said. "Please make yourselves comfortable." With that, he closed the door, heading up the hall to another room.

Yoko pulled out a seat for Kaori, who smiled before sitting. Yusuke sat across from her, leaving Yoko at the head of the table. "Are you sure you do not want to take the head, detective?" Yoko asked.

"You know more about how Demon World politics and stuff works," Yusuke said, waving him off. "I don't want to infringe on his rights or something."

"Plus, you have a more authoritative air about you," Kaori added with a smile. Yoko returned the gesture and sat down, straightening his posture and closing his eyes.

"Show off," Yusuke muttered, yet straightening slightly. Kaori smiled to him, sitting quite gracefully for a woman who had just fought a horde of demons and aided in synthesizing an antidote.

Yoko opened his eyes as the door opened to reveal Hitashi and a second demon, dressed in a long robe, his face covered in shadow. Hitashi gestured for the remaining chair, sitting at the other end of the table, across from Yoko, and the figure sat. Hitashi himself leaned against the door, crossing his arms and nodding to Yoko to begin.

"What is your name?" Yoko asked calmly.

"What is it to you, demon traitor?" the demon replied. His voice was low, slightly raspy, and cold, calculating. "I thought your masters in Spirit World knew everything."

"And why should that hinder simple conversation?" Yoko said with a small smirk. "Is it not polite to ask the name of a guest? You already know who I am, so why not show a bit of courtesy?"

"There should be no courtesies shown with those who betray their own," the demon replied. His head turned slightly to the left, catching Kaori's attention. "However, I will show respect to the darling lady, since she seems more loyal." He gave a small bow.

"Courtesies are only so good when one cannot see the gentleman's face," Kaori said. "I assure you, we only seek to know the truth."

"Very well, my darling," he replied, pulling down his hood. The demon was a pale blue color, almost human looking, but with deep amber eyes and a gash down the center of his face. Though mostly healed, it was obviously new and would leave a permanent scar. His gaze remained fixed on Kaori, who gave him a small smile and a nod.

"Can we know your name now?" Yusuke asked, slightly impatient.

"Takeru," he said, cutting his eyes. "And you are Yusuke Urameshi, the Spirit Detective and Mazoku, heir of Raizen. You're colleague is Yoko Kurama, retired King of Thieves and demon traitor. You're other friend, Hiei, killed Isamu back in the Human Plane." At this Yusuke's eyes grew big, while Yoko only nodded. Takeru turned his attention back to the only person left at the table. "What is _your_ name, my darling?"

"Kaori," she said with a small bow of her head. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Takeru could not keep the smile out of his voice.

"So were you one of the two who retrieved Lord Konajiru?" Yoko asked. Takeru nodded, finally meeting Yoko's firm gaze.

"Yes, there were three of us," he explained. "We got into Spirit World and easily found the Lord. Initially, he did not want to come with us, saying that Spirit World's courts would not allow his release. However, when we don't him about his father's ailing health, he agreed to come with us."

"What happened after you left Spirit World?" Yoko asked. This got him a smirk.

"I'm surprised you do not wish to know how we got around Spirit World security," Takeru said. "Does not Koenma wish to keep a tight watch?" Yoko however shrugged with a smirk of his own.

"Koenma's security is not my issue," he said. "I know the holes in it, just as you. I only was apprehended after leaving and returning to the Human World. My concern is what happened to you and Lord Kurogane."

"We were met by a single demon, most likely a low level to pass through the Kekai," Takeru said, sitting up to the table. "We were unaware of his presence until he killed the third member of our party, Haruto. I was attacked next, but we were able to fend him off. However, in the struggle, Kurogane disappeared."

"Just disappeared?" Kaori asked. Takeru nodded.

"I at first assumed he had fled, but when the demon was defeated, we could not sense or find him anyway. He is too powerful to make it through the Kekai, so we knew he would be in the Human World."

"Do you know anything about his memory being erased?" Yoko asked.

"Erased?" Takeru questioned, tilting his head slightly in thought. "It must have been by whoever took him from us. The next time I saw the Lord was when I witnessed you all at the house with the humans. Isamu and I remained hidden, preparing to call Lord Hitashi, but he had already come to Lord Kurogane's aid."

"Were there any other demons in the vicinity?"

"Only a few who appeared in the few days he was missing," Takeru said. "None were strong enough to overtake him, even in his weakened state."

"Whoever it was also bound his energy," Yoko said. "He was imperceptible, and even crossed a human only barrier."

"Do we have to tell him everything we know?" Yusuke asked quietly. Yoko nodded in return while Takeru continued to think.

"I know of one demon with that ability, but he disappeared years ago," Takeru said. "He was quite powerful however, and should not have been able to make it to the Human plane."

"Unless he bound his own energy to pass the Kekai," Yoko mused. "Do you know his name?"

"Masahiro," Takeru replied. Kaori's breath caught in her throat as she caught his eye.

"Are you sure?" she asked, voice low.

"Of course. He controlled an area in Yomi's old territory. It's been run by those under him, but no one outside of his inner circle knows where he is or how he gets his orders to them. Are you alright my darling?"

All eyes rested on Kaori, her own closed and her head down. Yoko reached over and put his head on top of hers making her jump slightly before opening her eyes, focusing on his hand. Finally, she looked up to Takeru with a small smile. "Thank you for your assistance," she said simply.

"What are you doing with one of the demon traitors anyway?" Takeru asked, sitting back comfortably. "He and Hiei are nowhere near as powerful, now that they're on Spirit World's leash. Tell me they have not taken you away as well."

Kaori's smile only grew as Yoko let out a chuckle. "What makes you believe that Spirit World owns any of us, or that I am any weaker than before?" he asked with a smirk. He gestured to Yusuke before continuing. "I have found an honorable fighter in this detective, and that is where my loyalties lie. My contract with Spirit World is void, and trust me, you are indeed lucky that I am more… civil than Hiei."

Takeru scoffed and replaced his hood. "Your empty threats mean nothing," he said as he stood, turning to face Hitashi. "I do believe my services are complete. I have no reason to stay any longer."

"Do what you wish," Hitashi said, moving aside and opening the door.

"Takeru," Yoko called. The demon turned around, meeting a pair of cold golden eyes. "While I do appreciate your help, you did break into Spirit World and failed to keep the heir safe while he was in your custody."

"And?" Takeru asked, crossing his arms. With a wince, he looked down to see a flower had sprouted out of his forearm. His eyes rose back to Yoko, whose smirk grew.

"You'll be dead the minute you cross the gate," he said. Takeru gaped, looking to Hitashi, who could not hide his amusement and chuckled. "I suggest you stay around to make sure your leads pan out. I'd hate for you to die without being able to redeem yourself."

"And I wouldn't use too much energy in making portals," Kaori said, raising a hand. "It would be a tragedy if you sped up the growth of the death plant, my darling." Takeru gawked at her change in demeanor. He turned, walking out the room at a slow pace, Hitashi following him out after smiling at the remaining occupants.

"That was crazy," Yusuke said. "I didn't even see you plant that on him!"

"I placed the seed in the chair when we entered," Yoko said with a shrug. "You can never trust the actions of a demon confident in his ability to escape."

"Who knew he'd be so smitten with Kaori to tell her everything," Yusuke laughed, patting Yoko on the back. "How do we know he was telling the truth?"

"He was," Kaori said, looking to the door. "I met Masahiro."

"Is he in the Alliance as well?" Yoko asked. Kaori stood, walking to the door and into the hallway.

"You had better call Koenma," was all she said. "He'll be heading back to this world soon, and maybe Hiei and Kuwabara can intercept him before he crosses through."

"I'll call," Yusuke said, heading out as well. He put his hand on Kaori's shoulders. "Don't you worry, no matter how big this Alliance is, we're keeping you with your friends."

"Thanks Yusuke," Kaori said with a grin. Yusuke returned the gesture, heading down the hall and pulling out his communicator. Kaori looked back to Yoko, whose chin rested on his folded hands, elbows on the table. "Are you coming? We should get dinner and then get some rest if we're heading over to Yomi's old territory."

"Of course," Yoko said, rising and walking out beside Kaori. She smiled up at him, taking his arm and walking with him down the hall. "Yusuke is correct. We will do everything in our power to keep you."

"I'm glad," Kaori said, turning to look in front of them. _I just hope you can._

11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 (^_^ ) 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

"Isn't there any description about this Masahiro guy?" Shigure asked.

"Not a visible description," Ayame said, walking between Hiei and Kuwabara. Behind them were Shigure and Botan, who had taken on a human body to help with the hunt.

"He'll be near impossible to detect," Botan said, messing with her demon compass. "Instead of searching for a demon, you have to search for a human who is unusually low on spirit energy."

"Which could be any number of these weaklings," Hiei groaned, annoyed that he was stuck in the Human World. Any hope of getting sent to his home was shot when Koenma ordered the search.

"Is there any sort of benchmark we can use?" Kuwabara asked, stopping at a corner. They were near downtown during lunch, meaning the streets, stores, and sidewalks were packed with people on their break.

"That's what I'm trying to do," Botan said, closing the compass. "I've been given a modified version of the ordinary compass. Instead of finding demon energy, it finds unreadable human energy."

"But we don't want high spiritual awareness that's off the charts," Ayame said. Botan grinned at her.

"The charts also have a minimum," she said triumphantly. "We'll be able to narrow our search to humans with the highest and lowest amounts of human energy." She clicked the sign and the compass came on. In a moment, it spun, pointing to her left. "Aha! He's close!"

Botan began walking before she paused. Ayame leaned over her should to see that now the compass pointed behind her. "Um, is that thing working?" Ayame asked.

"Of course it is!" Botan said, turning the other way. Ayame scooted to the side, and both made sure the compass pointed straight in front of them. "Okay, here we go!" She began walking again, crossing the street with Hiei, Kuwabara, Shigure and Ayame following close behind. However, the compass turned and pointed behind her once again.

"I don't get it!" Kuwabara said.

"Idiots," Hiei grumbled, obviously frustrated.

"If you have any insight, please do share with us," Shigure snapped at him. Hiei's eye twitched once before he snatched the compass of Botan's wrist and stood between Kuwabara and Shigured. The compass began spinning, beeping haphazardly.

"Obviously, the idiot here has the strongest spirit in the city," Hiei growled out. "And you, Mr. 'purified energy,' have no sensible energy at all. The compass is responding to the two of you because you're the closest to it!" Hiei was shouting by the end, glaring at the trinket in his hand.

"Oopsies," Botan said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I forgot to program you two into it so it didn't-No Hiei don't!" Hiei raised his hand to smash the compass, but Ayame jumped in front of him, making him hesitate.

"Now you know Koenma doesn't like it when you break his toys," Ayame said, waving her finger. Hiei's eyebrow twitched, annoyed, before he handed her the compass. "Thank you Hiei. Two scoops of ice cream for you!"

"How did you know that?" Botan asked, taking the compass from her and opening it up. Ayame shrugged.

"He has a fit whenever I'm in his office and touch something. I figured he doesn't like things getting broken."

"It's just you," Hiei said, turning and scowling at her. Ayame simply stuck out her tongue.

"All done!" Botan said again, obviously not hindered by the setbacks. She closed the compass and clicked it on once again. After a moment, the compass pointed to the East, thankfully in the opposite direction of Kuwabara and Shigure.

"Finally," Hiei sighed. "Let's find this Masahiro and get this mission over with."

"You do know finding him will not reveal the rest of the alliance," Botan said, turning the corner while her eyes remained glued on the compass.

"I'm sure we'll get him to reveal something," Hiei said, a dark look crossing his eyes. Kuwabara shuddered and Shigure couldn't help wondering what was on his mind.

11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 (^_^) 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

Kaori snapped her eyes open and stared at the ceiling, waiting for her breathing to come under control. After a few minutes, she turned, looking into the sleeping face of Yoko Kurama, who had an arm draped lazily over her hip. She smiled in spite of herself, reaching up and stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. Yoko's nose twitched once, twice, and then a third time before Kaori had to pull her hand back to stifle a giggle. Yoko scrunched up his face, and before he could wake up, Kaori slipped a hand up to his ear and stroked it gently. Instantly his face relaxed and a soft purr slipped from his lips.

Kaori sighed, slipping out of Yoko's grip and rolled out of bed. She looked around Yoko's room, and decided she preferred Shuichi's back in the Human World, or even the purple room next door. Kaori put a robe on over her nightgown before slipping out into the hall. Quietly, she slid open the door to her room to check on Hitomi.

To her surprise, Kurogane was sitting aside of the bed, head resting near the pillow, and eyes closed in slumber. Kaori shut the door softly behind her before walking over to Kurogane. It had been a while since she saw him in his demon form, ears twitching softly at the top of his head and tail laying limp behind his chair. Kaori hesitated a moment, before putting a hand on his shoulder. In one instant, Kurogane's eyes were open and he flipped Kaori on the ground underneath him, one hand holding her wrist, the other a ball of lightning. He blinked, looking down at Kaori, who blinked back up in return.

"Kaori?" He asked, dissipating the ball and releasing her.

"Nice to see your energy returned, Kuro," Kaori said, smiling nervously.

"I'm so sorry!" He pulled her up and straightened out her robe. It was then that he noticed she was in only a nightgown and he dropped his hands and his eyes. "I'm really sorry about that."

"It's alright," Kaori said, pulling her robe down and looking over at Hitomi. She placed a palm on her head and felt no sign of fever. "She's recovering nicely."

"Mhm."

"Oh relax," Kaori said, turning on Kurogane. "I've gotten in worse predicaments, you know. I did try to kill Ayame naked, and I know you were there for that."

A blush crossed Kurogane's face as he studied his shoe, kicking at the tiniest of cracks in the floor. "I didn't mean to turn on you. I've just been on edge, wondering who would try to harm us. It's sunken in that someone's trying to kill father and all of us."

"Not all of us," Kaori waved him off, "just your guests. This is entirely different than your father's illness, and an entirely different person and motive."

"How can you be sure?" he raised his eyes to meet Kaori's smiling face.

"If they wanted the family dead, they would've struck while you were gone and taken out the remainder of the family. Obviously you all would have been rescued from the poisoned dinner with the simple antidote."

"I see." Kurogane narrowed his eyes in thought.

"But look on the bright side! You're energy's back and Hitomi's going to be fine!" Kaori jumped in the air victoriously, making Kurogane smile. "Now, I'm heading back to bed. You get some rest too."

"Goodnight, Kaori."

"Goodnight, Lord Kurogane." Kaori bowed and quietly left the room, shutting the door as Kurogane sat back in his chair. She scooted next door, back to Yoko's room, and silently opened the door. He was still in bed, exactly as she left him.

Tip-toeing across the room, Kaori laid her robe on chair and climbed back in bed, replacing Yoko's arm on her hip. With a smile, she snuggled up close to him and closed her eyes.

"Welcome back."

Kaori screamed and would've fallen out of bed had Yoko not been holding onto her. He chuckled, opening an eye and looking at her shocked face as Kaori panted. "You need to stop doing that," she breathed.

"Kurogane's energy has returned," Yoko said, pulling the girl next to him back to where she had been.

"Yeah, and Hitomi is doing well too," Kaori added, putting her hand against Yoko's chest. "I went to go check on them."

"Good." Yoko let out a yawn, and Kaori giggled at the vibrations that went through his chest. "Are you feeling better?"

"What do you mean?" Purple eyes met soft gold ones, a rare sight to anyone outside of that room.

"You had a nightmare, and have been distant ever since Takero brought up Masahiro." Yoko reached up and rubbed Kaori's cheek with his thumb. To his surprise, she pulled away, nuzzling back into his chest.

"I just didn't believe they'd all still be after me and the Demon World once Konajiru was taken care of," she sighed.

"Who all did you mean?" Yoko asked, turning onto his back and pulling Kaori onto his chest. Her mumbles were lost in his flesh when she didn't lift her head. "Kaori?"

"There were…five. Konajiru, Masahiro, Takeshi, Nobuo, and Reika, who is probably the most dangerous."

"Why is that?" Yoko asked. Kaori chuckled, looking up at him.

"Do you know how hard it is to be the only woman with a group of men?" Yoko could only chuckle and nod. "There's two ways to get around it; either be stronger than them or look amazing. She's both, but plays down her strength to let everyone else do things for her. She'll be the hardest to find."

"Have you seen her?"

"Once. The second time I escaped, she arrived and convinced everyone that she would take me to a safe place, though we knew she was sent by Konajiru."

"Why did they believe her?" Yoko asked. Kaori sat up, a distant look in her eyes.

"It was in the way she looked at them. It was like her eyes were making silent promises that you couldn't ignore. Everyone, men, women, children, were hypnotized into listening to whatever she said." Kaori's eyes met Yoko's, holding them without blinking. "Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't lead this coalition. There has to be a reason she let Konajiru be the head, even when I continued to resist."

"You'll be fine," Yoko said, pulling her close again. "No one's going to take you from me, alright?"

Kaori nodded, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"So, how about that nightmare?"

"Did you ever notice how ripped you were?" Yoko raised an eyebrow while Kaori traced one of his abs. "I didn't even know there were separate muscles here."

"Kaori, you're changing the subject."

"Am not..."

"You're trying to divert my attention."

"What do you mean?"

Yoko lifted up Kaori's chin to make her look at him. She chuckled nervously, a light blush on her cheeks. "The nightmare."

"I didn't have one," Kaori said, pulling away and crossing her arms.

"Yes you did," Yoko corrected. "You were-"

"No I didn't!"

"Kaori," Yoko said, eyes narrowing. "You woke me up with your panting. You called my name, were sweating, and were mo-...Wait." Yoko stopped, finger going to his lips in thought. Kaori's blush spread a bit, making her turn her back to him. "Panting...moaning...my name...I guess it wasn't a nightmare, hm?"

"Shut up!" Kaori shouted at him, completely red by now. She swung a pillow and hit Yoko in the face, too distracted by his thoughts to block it. "I can't control my dreams!"

"It's truly a shame," Yoko said, moving the pillow and giving Kaori a smirk. "I hope it was satisfying."

"Stop talking! Sleeping time!" Kaori laid down, her back to Yoko, while he continued to chuckle. "Goodnight!"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, my dear," Yoko purred, reaching around Kaori's waist.

"Goodnight!" Yoko chuckled again, leaning down and kissing Kaori's neck. She shivered, making him chuckle once more. "Stop it! This is why I don't want to tell you things! You make fun of me!"

"I merely adore that face you make when you're embarrassed." Yoko nuzzled into Kaori's back, making her shiver once more. A smirk crossed his face once more as he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. "I also love how your voice jumps up when you get flustered. Is that an octave perhaps?"

"Shut UP!"


	12. Lucky

Hello again guys, and Happy April First! Man, should've come up with a good one shot for today...

So, I guess it's good that I'm updating faster, but it's bad that I keep staying up and writing on school nights. I've been feeling...bleh lately, but writing out these chapters has definitely been helping out. Getting to a good part of the story, at least in my head right now. Next chapter is going to be fun, as long as I remember what's next. We're around...halfway I think. Depends on what else I decide to throw in, and if I start writing longer chapters.

Things are looking good in here guys. And by good I mean a bit of drama, a hint of fluff, and a teeny bit of humor. Hope you like it. I may start on the next one sometime this week...if I can anyway. Gotta read a book and write a paper and get ready for finals at the end of the month. BUT! I will keep updating, at least while I'm in this mood to not do anything else. Read and review and let me know what you think!

P.s, Special shout out to Death 101! I do appreciate you staying with me all this time! Now, on with the update!

**Chapter 12**

Botan paused, holding up her arm and stopping the humans and demon that were behind her. She looked up from her compass, now blinking, meaning that the one they searched for was within 500 meters and straight ahead. They had ended their search the night before when the signal was dropped, but this morning it returned and so the hunt continued. She turned to Hiei, who nodded and flicked away, making Masuyo and Shigure jump.

"Where's he going?" Shigure asked.

"To the roof of the building just ahead," Botan said. It was an old, large apartment complex with seven floors. As they were moving out of the city, the buildings got shorter and more residential, making this the tallest building in the area and the best place to scout out the area.

"And why aren't we going with him?" Shigure asked more directly.

"Because there are civilians around, not to mention Masuyo, Botan and Ayame," Kuwabara said, crossing his arms and looking to the top of the building. "There's no point in all of us rushing in, or leaving them back here unprotected." This earned him a whack on the back of the head.

"I'm not defenseless," Ayame growled. "Just cause I'm not able to manipulate energy doesn't make me a damsel in distress. Besides, we haven't seen another person for about twenty minutes!"

"But it does put us in a predicament if a fight does break out," Masuyo said, crossing her arms as well. "They'll be sure to attack us, the only other ones around, if only to throw the fighters off."

"Demons and their morals," Shigure mumbled. Hiei appeared back in front of the group, eyes already narrowed at the human.

"Standard battle strategy," he said. "Take out the weak point and the strong are supposed to crumble."

"Supposed to?" Masuyo asked, now interested. Kuwabara let out a small chuckle.

"Only ever made Urameshi and me stronger," he replied. "I even faked dying so he could win a tournament."

"If only there was some way to have made that permanent," Hiei mumbled under his breath. "You might have actually gotten strong enough to stay alive."

"Focus," Botan said, interrupting Kuwabara's retort. "Hiei, what did you find?"

"There are a few warehouses around, nothing so decrepit on the outside to be remains of a fight, but there was some traces of low demonic energy, as if a portal was once nearby, as well as a smaller building that is reinforced just beyond the courtyard of this one."

"If they can make portals, are we sure they're still here?" Ayame asked. Botan nodded, indicating to the compass that continued to blink rapidly.

"This only works in the current world," she explained. "If they crossed through, it would have lost the signal like before."

"But on the off chance they make a break for it, we need to inform Yusuke and Yoko so they're ready on the other side," Kuwabara said. Hiei closed his eyes and focused, Jagan glowing slightly. After a moment, he nodded and re-opened his eyes.

"They're already in Yomi's lands, so a portal would not be too far for them to retrieve."

"And why couldn't you call so we could join in the lovely conversation?" Shigure said, eyes still narrowed at the demon.

"It takes too long and the signal would blow our cover," Hiei snapped. "Now listen, you stay here with your sister and Ayame and we'll fetch you if we need your help. If a portal opens, you are NOT to go into the Makai after them, do you understand?"

"Why not?" Shigure growled out. "Too worried I'll go on a killing spree?"

"You're energy would clash with the whole Demon Plane," Botan said, shaking her head. "It would tire you out in a few minutes, leaving you defenseless and calling every demon for miles to your location."

"I am _not_ going to babysit you as well as this buffoon," Hiei said, turning his back before Shigure could say more. "Stay out of trouble."

With that, he turned his back and jumped back to the top of the building. Kuwabara ran after him, choosing to run to the front door and slip in. Botan smiled apologetically at the three who were being left behind and ran to follow Kuwabara, sliding in the door as well before it closed behind them.

"Who does he think he is?" Shigure growled, punching the wall next to him. Ayame eyed the cracks in the bricks before casually taking a step back. "Babysit? I'm not some sort of child that needs him to look out for me! I'll be fine without his help!"

"Can you maybe stop yelling?" Ayame spoke up. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're kind of not supposed to be here. Giving away our position will only make him distrust you more."

"Glad my trust is so unnecessary," Shigure grumbled, sitting down on the curb.

"Stop taking things so personal," Ayame said, sitting next to him. "Hiei's a jerk to just about everyone, minus Kurama, and even then he's only really civil and sort of respectful. Just because he acts cold doesn't mean he hates humanity."

"You trust him with your life?" Masuyo asked, sitting on Shigure's left. Ayame nodded with a smile, making her do the same. "Then I should trust him as well."

"How do you know they won't stab us in the back?" Shigure questioned, voice much lower now as he calmed down. Ayame chuckled, rubbing her neck, and made him raise an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Hiei stabbed me in the back once saving my life," she said, looking towards the building the others were in, then down the long, empty street. She turned back to meet Masuyo's shocked face and Shigure's glare. "No, not seriously stabbed. He stabbed the guy who was holding me against him, and I leaned back into the tip of his sword."

"Just a scratch?" Masuyo asked.

"Yep! No biggie. Besides, I was more focused on the neck wound and the poison," Ayame continued, hoping that Hiei appreciated the mini white lie she told. "Hiei got me the antidote and patched me up without even hesitating."

"This was the first mission you've been on together?" Masuyo asked, turning more to look at the young woman who spoke.

"Nope. I was there when they had to go rescue Kaori, which was the second time I guess. They had to look out for me too, since I was a defenseless human-"Here she stuck out her tongue. "Actually, Hiei saved my life then too, when Konajiru decided that I was the weakest link."

Shigure remained silent, eyes on the building. Ayame's hand on his shoulder got his attention. "Don't you worry about anything. Kaori and Kurama are on our side too. So's Yusuke, and I know he would never betray his girlfriend Keiko, much less the rest of humanity."

Shigure looked at her hand, then back into Ayame's eyes, dark blue smiling at him and winning over his trust. With a nod, he looked back to the building, standing when he felt a wave of demonic energy. "Well, they found something," he murmured, heading towards the building with the girls in tow.

"Aren't we supposed to stay back so you can protect us?" Masuyo said, running after him.

"Then stay close," Shigure said, waving Ayame to join them. "I can hide you with my energy if you're close enough. They won't even know we're here."

"Whatever you say," Ayame said hesitantly, following him through the same door Botan and Kuwabara had taken.

Inside was a large, empty room, with windows on the far side and a large staircase that curved off to the side. Shigure led the group to the stairs, deciding that up was safer than leaving the building. They reached the fourth floor, peeling off to look out the broken windows behind the building. Ayame gasped, leaning as close as she could to get a better view.

Hiei and Kuwabara were facing a man in the courtyard, Botan a few steps behind them. Behind him were about twenty low level demons who had just stepped out of a portal, the energy Shigure felt. A dozen more were filing out of the small building that the man must have just stepped out from. He didn't seem to be too fazed, and though he was a ways below, they could still pick up pieces of the conversation.

"I don't have time to stay here and play with you," he said, turning his back to Hiei and Kuwabara.

"We don't want to stand around and waste time either," Kuwabara said, making a fist. "Trouble is, you've been doing some shady stuff, and we need to bring you in for a little meeting. It won't take too much of your time."

"Too much has already been lost," Masahiro said, looking back to Hiei. "I don't expect those two to understand anyway."

"Understand what?" Botan asked.

"How vital it is for the Makai to survive. Rekai wants control and Ningenkai lives obliviously. None have the same struggles and troubles we do, yet we are not allowed to set ourselves up to succeed. Seems rather selfish to me."

"Seems like a ploy to me," Hiei smirked. "Control and power is all you desire, and you know you can't have enough of either. Makai doesn't need more territory; it needs stability, in either structured leaders or complete chaos."

"Interesting," Masahiro said with a smirk. "You may make a good advisor when our plans begin to move. Just do stay safe until then." With that, he turned and walked through the ranks of demons, heading to the portal while the others took fighting stances.

"Hey! Get back here!" Kuwabara shouted, forming his Spirit Sword and running towards Masahiro. A demon jumped in his way and slashed at him, making Kuwabara have to stop short and cut him down. "Hiei!"

"The fox knows," was the reply as he cut through three more demons. One leapt over their heads towards Botan, who let out a shriek and made Hiei turn back. He was still far from her when he suddenly sizzled, falling short with a thud and a hiss.

Shigure landed by her side, smirking as his fists glowed.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei growled as a few more demons exited the portal.

"You're going to let him get away!" Shigure shouted back, clasping his hands together and forcing his energy forward. He split a seam straight down the middle ranks, barely missing Masahiro, who had turned around with new interest, easily dodging the blast.

"A purifier," he mused. "And here I thought you kept the other humans back because they were defenseless." Botan gasped, looking up to see Ayame and Masuyo looking down at them. Unfortunately, the other demons saw too, targeting their attacks to the girls in the window.

"Idiot!" Hiei growled, leaping up through the now-falling debris. He swung Ayame on to his back and grabbed Masuyo by the waist, pulling them back from the rear of the building. A blast of energy hit where they were just standing, taking out the wall. However, Hiei was already sprinting through the building, down to the bottom level. He deposited the girls behind the stairwell, which was the largest and sturdiest structure in the old building. He looked both over once before heading back out. Most of the demons had been dispatched and Masahiro waved as he stepped through the portal.

Shigure made a move to follow, but was stopped when Hiei kicked him down. He looked up and growled as Hiei passed him and cut down the stragglers. The portal closed immediately before him, making him straighten and sheath his katana.

"You let him get away!" Shigure shouted.

"No, we just forced him into our trap!" Kuwabara said proudly as his sword dissipated. "Kurama, Urameshi, and Kaori will be waiting for him while we scout out what he's been doing here."

"You're the one who let him get away," Hiei growled, walking back over with narrowed eyes.

"Calm down!" Ayame said, running out to the building and standing between the two. "Just relax, call Koenma, and let's get past this."

"Get past this? I wouldn't be surprised if he's helping them!" Shigure shouted. Hiei was in his face almost instantly, growling with narrowing eyes.

"It was your job to protect Ayame and your sister. You were not supposed to be a part of this battle so as to not show him our trump card. Not only did you reveal yourself, but put unmatched females in danger because you're too proud to trust a demon." Here, Hiei's eyes narrowed even farther. "You are lucky she wasn't killed, because your 'special' energy will not work on me. You had better pray that the detective comes through, or it will be on _you._"

With that, Hiei turned and walked to one of the dead demons. Prying a sword from his hand and sheathing it, he tossed it to Ayame. She looked at him quizzically until he met her eyes. "Keep practicing before he leaves you on your own again," Hiei said, flitting away before anyone could say otherwise.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Shigure turned and stormed off in a huff. Masuyo called after him, before bowing to the rest and following his lead. Botan let out a deep sigh as well. "I'll call Koenma. He'll be prepared to form us a portal if need be."

"Right. Let's regroup back at Genkai's for the time being," Kuwabara said, turning and walking towards the apartment building. Botan followed, turning back to see Ayame looking over the bodies.

"Come on, Aya," she said, catching the girl's attention and making her follow suit.

Ayame's mind was stuck on two things. First, how could Masahiro leave so calmly, so easily, when he had no energy at all to fight or even defend himself? There was no way he and the others could be so confident that this investigation didn't even faze them. As she walked through the lobby of the building and out the other side, she saw Shigure and Masuyo a good ways up the street. The other thing was Hiei.

'_You are lucky she wasn't killed, because you're "special" energy will not work on me.'_

He didn't say 'they' weren't killed, nor did he offer polite advice. Hiei had threatened Shigure because she, Ayame, had been in danger. He could have stayed and fought, trusting Ayame to get Masuyo to safety. It's not like she hadn't fought a few weak demons before, or couldn't run fast enough. Instead, his priority was to get them to safety.

Why, on earth, did Hiei care?

**12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12**

Yusuke let out a yawn as they walked out of Yomi's castle. "I feel like that guy is always happy to see you," he said, folding his arms behind his head as he walked.

"I'm not sure 'see' is the proper term," Yoko said with a small smirk. "I also doubt 'happy' is the proper way to put it."

"He seemed more interested than anything," Kaori agreed, adjusting her sash. She wore a tunic similar to Yoko's, dark blue in color, with a gold sash. However, because it was meant for a man, and Hitashi had little to offer in women's pants, she and Yoko trimmed it, so her height and chest were not an issue. The sash covered all of their quick adjustments and ensured Kaori that nothing was going to slip.

"Anyway, I'm just glad he's cool with us looking around," Yusuke said. "Didn't know we needed his permission since the territories aren't official anymore."

"We did not go for his permission, detective," Yoko said calmly. "It is simply polite to stop by a known demon and inform him of your presence. It removes suspicion, and I haven't seen him in a good many decades."

"But you just saw him at the tournament I came up with," Yusuke said, looking slightly confused. "That wasn't that long ago."

"The Kurama side of me, yes," Yoko said, a smirk growing. "While he can take my form when necessary, do know that we are still two separate entities."

At this Yusuke stopped walking, making the other two kitsunes turn to see him gawking. "I didn't know you could be you!" he pointed accusingly. His gaze then went to Kaori. "Does Kurama know you two have been shacking up? Does he get to help? Is this like a threesome?"

"What's shacking up mean?" Kaori asked, tilting her head sideways. This made both males stare at her in near awe while her ear twitched nervously under their gazes.

"Well you're definitely not shacking up," Yusuke breathed, resuming his walk as if nothing happened. "How long have you been Youko and not Kurama with a new hairdo?"

"Since we first crossed into the Makai," he replied. "He allowed me to come out to stretch my legs, so to speak. I reside in the same body, so I know what he knows and thinks, detective, I just can't actively participate. Don't think I've been sleeping this whole time, and neither is he. And no, we do not have threesomes."

"Does he get tired sitting in the back of your mind?" Kaori asked thoughtfully, completely gliding over Yoko's last comment and the nervous chuckle from Yusuke. Yoko thought about this for a moment before shaking his head.

"It's similar to a dream. You get to watch what goes on, think and feel and understand what is around you, but you are using no real effort, since another is doing the work, so to speak." Kaori nodded at his explanation. "There are times when I get restless, but using our energy usually gives me enough satisfaction to allow him to remain in control."

"So could we talk to him while you're still in this body?" Yusuke asked, hopping over a fallen tree.

"It is possible, yes," Yoko said, stepping over with ease. He extended a hand to Kaori, who held it as she stepped on it and then hopped down. "However, that requires more energy. I must relinquish control while maintaining this body. It is not a simple task, but he has been more conscious at times, such as during the interrogation and during our battle with Takeshi."

"Could you be Yoko in Shuichi's body?" Kaori asked next. Yoko smiled at her, shaking his head.

"Not completely and not for long. My traits become easily discernable from his, though our mannerisms are similar."

"Tell me about it," Yusuke sighed. Yoko chuckled, then he paused a moment, ear twitching. Kaori noticed and stopped alongside him. "What's up?"

"They found residue from a portal," Yoko said, eyes still staring past the trees in front of him. "Hiei said they are moving in, and will attempt to corner Masahiro. If he tries to flee, he'll most likely return to his compound."

"Then let's get there and wait for him," Yusuke said, breaking into a run. Yoko and Kaori followed after, soon catching and overtaking the detective. "Hey! Wait up!"

Kaori smiled as she and Yoko blew through the trees, neither missing a step. Yusuke could be heard cursing behind them, unable to run as silently with so many obstacles. Something about running through a forest made her feel as if she were flying. A chuckle at her side told her Yoko had noticed her amusement, and she turned her smile to him, ducking under a branch and jumping off a root to keep pace with him. "What's so entertaining over there?" she asked, keeping one eye in front of her while she watched the lean kitsune at her side glide through the forest.

"I simply haven't run like this in a while," he mused. "I have not been on the hunt through the woods of Makai since before that detective was born, and not with a partner since before that." Kaori laughed at this, twirling around a tree that snuck up on her.

"How long since you've had a lovely lady at your side?" she asked with a smug grin. Yoko matched her expression, hopping up onto a low branch and flipping down aside of her again without missing a step.

"Never one such as you," he said, turning to look ahead of them to the compound rising in the distance. "I've never found a treasure so valuable that was enough to satisfy all of my desires. It aided my drive, looking for that one thing that would satisfy me, but only lasting until the next rumor of treasure came around. There was no woman to satisfy me either, all being greedy or self-serving, haughty even. Finding a mate seemed impossible until I found you, Kaori." He looked at her and smiled a warm, genuine smile. "I have no desire to search for another, now or ever."

Kaori only held his gaze for a moment before she ran straight into the trunk of a tree, splitting the trunk and falling back. Yoko stopped in alarm, turning back to her lifting her face. "Kaori? Are you alright?" he asked, checking her pupils for dilation and feeling over her forehead. A few tears gathered at the corner of her eyes as Kaori shook off her abrupt stop.

"Got a bit of a headache now, and my pride's torn to pieces," she said. Yoko chuckled at this, pulling her into a sitting position. "I just didn't expect you to say that. I guess I was too focused on hearing you instead of looking where I was running."

"Then I apologize for distracting you," he said, pulling her into an embrace and inhaling her scent. Kaori sighed at the affection, pulling back and smiling.

"I know you and Kurama are the same, I just didn't expect you to express such sentimental feelings," she added, rubbing at her eyes before she chuckled. "Way to go and sweep me off my feet, right into a tree."

"I truly am sorry," Yoko said, brushing a finger over her cheek. "I promise to save the rest of my expression for a safer, more private time."

"You're forgiven, on one condition." Yoko nodded, waiting patiently for her demands. "What does shacking up mean?"

Yoko barely caught himself from falling over, staring at her with wide eyes. They softened when they met hers, innocently blinking up at him. "Is it a bad thing? Or are you supposed to do it?" Yoko chuckled, pulling Kaori back against him.

"Your innocence is endearing," he mused. "Shacking up is a human term, referring to acts like the one that occurred in that dream of yours." Kaori's eyes grew and she blushed. "To answer the detective's question, no, we are not shacking up."

"Well that's disappointing," Yusuke said, panting as he caught up to the pair. "I was going to rub it in to Kuwabara that you guys were getting some before him." Yusuke suddenly found himself on his back, staring up at Kaori with a hand-sized pain throbbing on his cheek.

"We were not getting some!" she shouted, voice higher pitched than before. "Don't think we're doing those things 'cause we aren't! And I don't even want to KNOW what that 'three' thing meant!" At this Yoko barked out a laugh, making Kaori turn to him, redder than before. "Shut up!"

"But I love it when your voice does that," he said with a smirk. Kaori crossed her arms and turned her back to him with a huff. Yoko would have continued but her heard Hiei in his mind once more.

"Yo, what's up?" Yusuke asked, bringing Kaori's attention back to him. Yoko stood and pulled the Spirit Detective to his feet just as they felt the energy from a nearby portal.

"The time is now, detective," he said, eyes drifting over to Kaori's. "Masahiro is here."


	13. Sealed

Ok, so I definitely am a better writer when I'm in this bored mood. My book wasn't at the store, but it should arrive in the mail tomorrow or the day after. That means I had nothing to do except write this out. I feel like it's really long, but I didn't want to cut it anywhere. I'm not even sure I like this chapter...I like most of what occurs in it, and my grammar looks pretty good...but I don't know about it. Anyway, I plan on working more fluff into this, cause it can't all be fight scenes. And nothing says fluff like random bonding moments!

Anyway, hope you like it. Read and Review! Hopefully I'll have a book read and a paper written by the next update! (Or, I'm going to sit and write out another chapter tomorrow. Who knows!)

**Chapter 13**

Kaori slid her body along the tree branch, ears pulled back along her head and tails glued to the backs of her legs. Her eyes were focused on the figure walking through the trees in front of her. He was obviously in a hurry, though he moved quietly along the path, occasionally looking over his shoulder, where his portal once was.

Kaori slid up into a sitting position, crouching for a moment before dropping silently to a branch underneath her. It was from the next tree, making it easier to slide down to the trunk, following along behind the man down below. A flash of silver assured her that Yoko was still off to her right, slightly below her and just as silent. He climbed up to a higher branch, freezing as Masahiro checked his surroundings once more. The two kitsunes had obviously done this before, making it no surprise that Masahiro knew nothing of their presence.

However, the Spirit Detective on the ground below them was definitely out of practice with stealth, doing his best to avoid every stray branch and leaf that continued to hide under his foot. A few times Masahiro had stopped, after hearing a noise cause by Yusuke, and he had to not only hide from their enemy, but from the glare Yoko sent his way.

To everyone's surprise, a demon appeared before Masahiro, bowing instantly. "What do you want?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"My lord, you're return is quite unexpected," the messenger replied, rising to his feet. "The others are concerned that something has arisen to hasten your return."

"Nothing unexpected," he replied, turning to look back. He knew he was being followed by one demon, apparently low level and unskilled if his noise was anything to go on. "They are learning about us as we've expected, and we'll be able to begin the next phase on schedule, if only a bit early." Here Masahiro smiled. "The demon Hiei is wiser than expected of a Spirit World lackey. It would be a shame if his talents are wasted. Have Nobuo and Reika see if there is any way we can use him and the kitsune."

"Yes my lord," was the reply. "Is there anything else you would have me tell them?"

"Just to expect company soon," he said, looking back towards Yusuke's position. The boy froze, as had Kaori and Yoko. The messenger nodded, and sprinted down the path where Masahiro had just come from. Not a minute had passed before he heard a yelp in pain before silence. Masahiro spun around, sensing a slight spike in energy. Debating with himself, he walked back along the path, seeing no sign of the messenger, save a spot of blood on the ground.

Masahiro let out a growl. "Demon, I'm curious as to how you killed him without leaving your hiding spot," he said, turning and crossing his arms. A curse was heard before Yusuke stepped out, rubbing the back of his head.

"Man, how long have you known I was there?" he asked with a chuckle. "And here I thought I was picking up on this sneaky business."

"I don't have time to deal with this," Masahiro said, folding his hands in front of him. With a small chant, his energy was released, spiking around him as a warning to Yusuke. "Move out of my way before I decide to be less generous."

"Can't let that happen," Yusuke said with a smile. "I'm sure Kuwabara already told you, but we need to have a word with you and your alliance about this whole taking over thing. And since we're not holding back on our energy anymore, I hope you don't mind if I relax a bit." With that Yusuke released his hold on his own energy, spiking and showing Masahiro that he was nothing to be messed with.

"Well, well, well," Masahiro smirked. "You definitely had me fooled. And here I thought you were just some nosy grunt following me around. Does Koenma know you're running around alone in the woods?"

"Who said he was alone?" Masahiro turned to see Yoko behind him, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. "I'm flattered our talents have caught your interest."

"Don't let it go to your head, dear." Masahiro looked up, seeing Kaori on a branch above Yoko, a leg dangling down casually, the other bent with an arm resting on her knee. "My talents did too, and it isn't as fun as he makes it sound."

"Nice to see you are well, Kaori," Masahiro smiled, bowing slightly. "I was worried Konajiru got too carried away with trying to keep you for himself."

"Yes," all three said in unison. This made Masahiro sigh and shake his head.

"I knew he should not have been in charge of recruiting," he said, turning back to face Yusuke. "I'm sure you are well aware of the problems with Makai politics. Ever since your father began weakening, there's been turmoil under the surface, and these new regulations are not easing any tensions."

"But the regulations are not meant to control the demons that are here," Yusuke said. "All it's supposed to do is keep them from interfering with the Human World."

"And do you know how many demons are starving?" Masahiro asked. "Human flesh is much more satisfying, especially for those of us with higher energy. Don't you find yourself getting hungry more often than you should?" At this, Yusuke raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"Yusuke is not a full demon," Yoko interrupted. "His body is still mostly human, with demon characteristics. He does not foster those desires, especially since he has yet to taste human flesh."

"Ew, why would I do that?" Yusuke said.

"Because of the energy," Kaori said, hopping down by Yoko's side. "You don't crave it because you've never had it. Neither have I, though every demon knows that once you have, you can't stop. That's why so many tried to cross the Kekai over the years. It doesn't strengthen you, only mentally, since, you know, you're not being driven crazy by the desire to eat more. The energy is supposed to be super delicious."

"And many demons have had humans in their lives," Masahiro agreed with a nod. "We have been experimenting with growing human substitutes with some success, which is why I was in the Human World. When we begin our take over, we want to make sure every demon is at his best and not weakened by Spirit World's selfishness."

"Like you're getting that far," Yusuke said smugly while raising his fists. "Speaking of, they'd love to have a talk to you up there, as would a few lightening demons. I hear they don't like what you did to their heir."

"Ah, yes, Kurogane," Masahiro sighed. "That was unfortunate. Memory loss is a side effect of my technique, though I admit, Takeshi taking the father role was a step too far. He's very untrusting by nature, and that was the easiest way to get him to listen. I do hope he returned before his father's passing, and that Takeshi's deceit does not take us away from negotiations."

"Yes, he did," Kaori said, narrowing her eyes. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"Of course not, my dear," he smiled broadly. "I'm the diplomat, not the espionage artist. I leave that to those who are better qualified than I."

"Either way, you're coming with us," Yusuke said.

"No, I am not," Masahiro said, taking his own stance. He turned his back completely to Yusuke, facing Yoko instead. "I'm sure you will think over my offer."

"I haven't heard any offers," Yoko smirked, pulling a rose from his hair and smiling. "However, I do accept requests in writing or blood."

"I'll get right on that," Masahiro smiled.

"Hey!" Yusuke shouted, running at him. "Don't try to talk your way out of this!" He swung at Masahiro, who leapt in the air, kicking him in the back before landing in the same spot. Yusuke stumbled, turning around and growling.

"Oh don't worry detective, I didn't forget about you," he replied with a smirk. "I didn't think for a moment you wouldn't want a bit of fun first."

"You should see when he doesn't get to let it out," Kaori smiled, picking up two blades of grass, rubbing her thumbs over them. "I think we need to get him a hobby or something."

"Knitting should do the trick," Yoko chuckled, flicking his wrist and bringing out his whip.

"Shut up!" Yusuke whined.

"Of course," Masahiro said, charging at him. Yoko and Kaori jumped sideways, avoiding Masahiro, while Yusuke blocked a punch with his own. He slid back a few feet before sending a kick into his side. Masahiro jumped back himself, ducking Yoko's whip and spinning backwards. Yusuke got a punch in the back, sending him stumbling forwards with a grunt. He forced energy in his hands in time to catch Kaori's blades. They parried a few slashes before Kaori flipped away. Masahiro followed until Yoko's whip caught his leg. He caught himself before hitting the ground, but Yoko drug him back into a tree. Masahiro let out a growl, tearing the whip from his leg and wrapping it around his wrist.

Yoko grinned, wrapping the handle once around his hand. The two lunged at each other, fists connecting with a surge of energy that made both stumble back slightly. Each shortened the slack before charging again, matching each other hit for hit. Yoko got in a hit to the jaw, Masahiro kicking him in the side. Yoko winced, loosening the slack enough to take a step back. Masahiro hesitated a second before charging at the fox again, who continued to pull back and block Masahiro's strikes.

Just as he got backed into a tree, he jumped up, pulling Masahiro into the air and holding on to the whip. Masahiro winced at the pain, pulling at the whip before he felt a surge of energy behind him. "Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted, firing a blast at the now trapped demon. Masahiro kicked off the trunk of the tree, turning himself to catch the blast in his hands. The force tore through the whip and the tree, making Yoko lunge for another branch before he was blasted off with Masahiro. The latter slammed into two more trees before coming to a stop on his knees.

"I thought you didn't forget about me," Yusuke smirked. Yoko landed at his side and Kaori stood off to his left. "There's no way you can take the three of us, Masahiro. Give up."

"You're indeed correct, detective," Masahiro ceded as he slowly stood to his feet. He began chanting again, folding his hands and closing his eyes.

"What's he doing?" Yusuke asked. Yoko's eyes narrowed as he listened to the words.

"Move!" he shouted, kicking Yusuke back into Kaori. The two landed on the ground with a thud as a wave of energy shot out of Masahiro. Yoko turned his back to the blast as it hit him, forcing energy into the ground. Large roots sprouted in front of Yusuke and Kaori, deflecting the blast away.

"Yoko!" Kaori shouted, pushing Yusuke off and getting to her feet. She climbed over the roots, seeing Yoko on his knees and doubled over in pain. She ran to him and knelt in front of him.

"I wouldn't touch him yet if I were you," Masahiro said calmly, strolling up while massaging his wrist. "I'd hate for your energy to be absorbed with his."

"What?" Kaori asked, looking back to Yoko. He looked up to her with pained emerald eyes, teeth ground together in the struggle to hold on, but he was already losing and Kaori knew it. His tails twitched agitatedly and his energy was spiking all over the place.

"What did you do to him?" Yusuke shouted, finger pointed at Masahiro.

"The same thing I did to Kurogane," he said calmly. "He didn't have nearly as much energy at the time, so it was much less painful than it is for this kitsune right now." Kaori dove at him, tackling him to the ground and getting in a couple headshots before he kicked her off. She dove at him again, and he barely managed to escape the fire on her fists.

"Release him now!" she screamed, eyes ablaze.

"No can do," Masahiro said, jumping back again and into a tree. With a wave of her hand, Kaori brought the branches to life, swatting at him while he continued to evade. "However, instead of worrying about me, you should make sure he gets back to Ningenkai. Without his energy, the Makai will kill him."

Kaori stopped, unmoving when a scream rang in her ears. It was Shuichi's voice, the human body of Kurama, screaming as the last of his energy was sealed in his body. Kaori spun around, seeing the red head on his hands and knees, panting and shuddering under his own weight. "Interesting," Masahiro continued. "I would not have guessed that there was a human inside of him. I wish I could stay around and see what will come of him." She gave one last glance to Masahiro before sprinting to Kurama's side.

"Are you ok?" she asked, catching his attention. His eyes were wide as he stared at her. He could only shake his head no slowly. Tentatively, Kaori reached out to him, putting a hand on his face. He flinched, but she felt no tug on her energy.

"Human world," he said, voice barely over a whisper. Another shudder went through his body, making Kaori reach out and grab him. She pulled him against him, turning to Yusuke.

"We need a portal right now," she said, holding him tight. Yusuke looked back, noticing that Masahiro was gone. He cursed, before calling Koenma. Kaori held on to Kurama, rubbing her hands along his arms as he tried to hold on to her as well. He was in his school uniform once more, covering his body and keeping him warm at least. However, Kaori couldn't tell if he had any damage from Masahiro's attack. "How are you feeling?"

"Alone," was the answer, Kurama staring blankly ahead. This caught Kaori off guard, making even Yusuke turn and raise an eyebrow as he shut his compact.

"What do you mean?" Kaori asked. A portal opened behind them, and Yusuke helped to lift Kurama to his feet.

"He's gone," Kurama said, walking slowly to the portal. The three stepped through, coming out in a park near downtown.

"Yeah, but don't worry, we'll find him," Yusuke said. "I'm going back to the lightening kingdom to let them know what's up. We won't let Masahiro get away." Kaori nodded as Yusuke went back through the portal. It closed a moment later, leaving the two kitsunes alone. Kaori leaned against the tree, holding Kurama tightly. With a bit of concentration, she hid her ears and tails, closing her eyes while making sure Kurama's breathing came under control.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Kaori asked slowly.

"Yoko's gone." Kaori let out a gasp, looking at him with surprise. "I can't feel him. There's just…nothing."

"Did he get sealed inside of you?" Kaori asked. "Masahiro said that he was sealing your energy, so maybe he just can't get out."

"I heard," Kurama said, sitting up slowly. He closed his eyes, concentrating. "Memory loss was one of the side effects as well. Similar to the Idun Box, but much worse, it appears."

"The Idun Box?" Kaori asked. Hiei appeared by their side, looking slightly confused.

"Where is your energy?" he asked bluntly, looking Kurama over. He merely shook his head, not even bothering to open his eyes. Hiei looked to Kaori, who looked even more distraught. "What happened?"

"We were fighting Masahiro and he said he did to him what he did to Kurogane," she said. "And then Yoko was in pain and then he turned back into Kurama, but he had no energy so he was too weak to stay in the Makai, so we brought him back here. But he said that Yoko's gone and it's like some Idun Box thing, but I don't know what that is or where my Yoko is."

It was then that Hiei saw the tears in Kaori's eyes. She was behind Kurama, and he knew that he was too worried about finding the rest of himself to console her.

Hiei stood in front of Kurama and took off his bandana. His Jagan opened and he searched through the fox's mind, grateful that his memories were intact. He could clearly sense the pain from the seal, as well as see him, as well as Kaori and Yusuke, come through the portal. Previously, however, was a haze, meaning that Yoko had been in control. He could sense his emotions, thoughts, and decisions, as well as the moment when Yoko realized what Masahiro was doing. Hiei couldn't make out the words of the chant, but Yoko's thoughts flew to saving Kaori and Yusuke. At that moment, all that existed was saving them and searing pain, constricting him on all sides.

Then Yoko's thoughts simply ceased, and Hiei couldn't even feel any traces of him. Hiei opened his natural eyes, looking at Kurama's face. He had yet to open his eyes, yet to stop looking, yet to stop hoping. "Kurama." He didn't hear him, he wouldn't hear him. "We have to get you somewhere safe."

"It's not permanent," Kaori said softly. At this Kurama opened his eyes and looked at her. "Kurogane's memory and energy came back, and he's fine. So Yoko's going to come back to us, and he'll be ok. I'm sure he's ok, and he can't wait to come back out either." She couldn't lift her gaze to meet his eyes, sniffling once before standing. Finally she looked at him, tears fighting to be let free. "Let's get you Genkai's to wait it out, ok?"

Kurama nodded once, allowing her to pull him to his feet. He was weak, unbearably weak, but slowly getting stronger. He was surprised at how much he had to use Kaori for support. Hiei couldn't seem to believe it either, but he could do nothing but tie his headband and flit away, saying he'd make sure no demons were in the area. This left the two in silence, Kaori's arm around his waist and his over her shoulder, his other hand holding onto himself, giving himself the smallest amount of comfort.

"Are you alright?" Kaori asked, eyes on the street as they started to walk.

"Physically, yes," Kurama sighed, standing up slightly straighter. "I haven't been in this form in a while, and it takes a bit to get used to my body again. I'm used to drawing on some energy for stability, but that's impossible at the moment. My strength is returning slowly though, so I shouldn't be a burden to you much longer."

"Don't worry about it," Kaori said, looking up to him. "How are you feeling?"

Kurama took a while to respond, trying to put it into words. "I've had him within me, and a part of me, since before I was born. It is not a schizophrenic relationship with a voice speaking to me that is my demon half. It's…more of an intertwined existence. Not only is he gone, but I can't reach my energy or feel the plant life. It's like complete isolation that I've never felt before."

"Well, you still have me," Kaori said with a small smile. Kurama returned the gesture, giving her shoulder a bit of a squeeze. Both of their faces fell when they turned the corner and came face to face with Megumi.

"Shuichi!" the girl said with a huge smile. Then her eyes fell to Kaori, and the smile seemed a bit forced. "How are you? Are you alright?" She looked the girl up and down, questioning her choice of a tunic that obviously was not meant for her size.

"Yes, just a bit tired," Kurama said calmly, standing up straight. Kaori felt a small shudder go through his body at the exertion and knew he shouldn't have, but keeping a front for Megumi was most important at the moment.

"Oh, I see," Megumi said, smiling back up to him as she took a step closer. "I haven't seen you around since the incident at the school. We were worried that something happened to you when the rest of the science labs went."

"Nah, we made it out fine," Kaori said, sliding in front of Kurama and holding his hands on her waist. She could feel him leaning against her back, and she made sure she stood up straight, making sure it looked like a casual stance of affection while he received a bit of a relief.

"I do appreciate your concern, Megumi," Kurama said smoothly, more appreciative of Kaori's quick thinking at the moment. "However, we are busy at the moment. Is there anything I could help you with, other than ensuring you that we are alright?"

Megumi paused at this, debating how to go on. "Can I talk to you alone, Shuichi?" she asked tentatively. "I mean no ill will towards Kaori, and I promise there isn't an ambush waiting around the corner. I just… I need to talk to you about something very important, and I don't know if anyone else would believe me."

Kaori and Kurama blinked, surprised at the change in demeanor. Megumi herself sat down on the curb, head low and looking across the street. Kurama nodded to Kaori as he maneuvered himself next to Megumi and sat next to her, at least grateful for the time off of his feet. "I'll take a stroll around the block," Kaori said with a sigh. She looked up, noticing Hiei appear on a building across the street. He gave her a nod before she turned and walked away.

Kurama watched her for a bit before turning back to Megumi. He wasn't surprised that she was staring at him. What did surprise him was that it wasn't the same longing look that was usually on her face, "What is the problem, Megumi?" he asked, slightly on edge.

"Are you… in danger?"

This caught him even more off guard. "Why would you-"

"That woman with blue hair came when the school was on fire," she continued, looking down. "I overheard some people talking about a fire over at the Sarayashiki Campus. That's when I remembered I saw that woman before, with a couple of kids who went there. It was a while ago, back when we were in junior high, but I remember her."

"She is a friend of mine," Kurama said calmly. "A few of her friends attend Sarayashiki with her, and a mutual friend introduced us. After the fire over there, she said that she came over to wait for me and Kaori after school, but found us outside as well. I assure you, she means me no harm."

"It's not her I'm worried about," Megumi sighed, looking down. "I had some people look into her-I hope you don't take offense-and her friends are some of the most dangerous kids in town. Crazy stuff happens around them, unexplainable stuff, and I don't want any of that to work its way over to you. When you and Kaori disappeared, I thought that whoever was after those punks tried to take you out too."

She looked over to Shuichi, who seemed to be looking up pensively. He had the most perfect face when he was in thought, his feminine features overshadowed by the masculine expression. Had Megumi not been so concerned, she would have swooned at being so close to him. That said, a blush still crept onto her cheeks as she averted her eyes to her knees.

"Very interesting theory," Kurama mused, inwardly sighing with relief that Megumi had not figured out everything. "However, I can assure you that the two events were unrelated."

"Really?" Megumi asked hopeful, looking up into his eyes.

"Yes. It was my chemistry class that started the fire because of a misprint in the lab instructions," he said, glad that he could mix in a bit of truth. "Someone left one of the supply closets open during the initial evacuation, which caused the subsequent explosion and much larger fire."

"What about at the other campus?"

"Botan said something about old wires catching. Their fire was more extensive and less centered than ours, but the safer of the two, since no chemicals were ignited. It was all merely a large coincidence, and I know for a fact that she and her 'dangerous' friends are safe at home." _Safe enough, anyway,_ Kurama thought to himself. However, Megumi did not need to know about the other worlds at the moment.

"Oh thank God!" Megumi said, launching herself at Kurama with tears in her eyes. He was unable to keep his balance and ended up falling sideways on the sidewalk, Megumi on top of him. "I was so worried we'd lose you for good! I couldn't bear the thought!"

"I assure you, I'm fine," the latter mumbled, sitting himself up on his elbows and looking down at the girl attached to his waist. It was then that Kaori turned the corner, pausing mid-step and meeting Kurama's eyes. She raised an eyebrow when he mouthed a silent 'help me,' but didn't do anything to get the girl off of him. Instead, she took a step back around the corner, feigning innocence and ignorance.

"Promise me you'll stay safe," Megumi continued, looking up into his eyes. Shuichi looked down into hers, wishing he could just throw her off and go on to Genkai's.

"Of course," he said with a smile that made her eyes glaze over. "However, the strain you're putting on my spine may make it a bit difficult to promise anything more."

"Oh!" Megumi said up quickly with a blush, allowing him to finally sit up straight and adjust his sleeves. "I'm sorry, Shuichi. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Nonsense," he said, taking a breath as he stood, thankful that he didn't sway on his feet. Kaori took this moment to come around the corner, a knowing smile on her lips.

"All done?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, you have wonderful timing," Kurama said with a grin. He looked down to Megumi, unwilling to offer a hand in case he himself stumbled. "Rest assured, everything will be alright."

"Alright," she said standing and looking to him with the normal loving gaze. She quickly gave him a hug, making Kurama go stiff, before she turned and walked away, brushing past Kaori without even acknowledging her return.

Kaori watched her go before turning back to Kurama, who let out a sigh of relief. "So, I should grab some clothes more suitable for the here," Kaori said, walking over and gingerly taking Kurama's hand. "Then do you want to take the train to Genkai's? Or would you rather I carried you?"

"I guess the train would spare some of my dignity," he smiled, giving her hand a small squeeze. "At least sitting down gave me some rest."

"What did you talk about?" Kaori asked as they began the trek to the Minamino home.

"She saw Botan and assumed the two school fires were connected, with us being the targets," Kurama replied. "As you saw, she was ecstatic to know that a gang is not after us."

"So close," Kaori said with a smile. "Maybe Botan should jump up and down less when she comes to get us. It makes her stand out too much."

Kurama chuckled at this. "Yes, I do believe she would blend in much better if only she wasn't so excited to see us." He looked up and saw Hiei flitting across the roofs above them, and he couldn't help but smile inwardly. Silence continued the entire walk home, until Kaori went up to her room to change. Kurama sat on the couch, checking phone messages from his mother, the school, and many female students. He sighed, laying his head back and closing his eyes, emptying his mind and trying to feel his other half.

Unfortunately, there was nothing, again. No energy, no feelings, nothing. He was utterly alone in his own mind, which was probably just fine for most normal people. However, Shuichi Minamino was not a normal person, and Kurama did not enjoy the loneliness.

He jumped when Kaori walked up next to him, opening his eyes quickly and instinctively reaching into his hair. However, there was nothing there either, lucky for Kaori, but even more disheartening for him. "I'm sorry," Kaori said, watching him drop his hand with a sigh. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"Don't worry, you were safe," Kurama said, leaning back and closing his eyes. He felt Kaori's hands in his hair, massaging his head and running her fingers through his hair, and he sighed again with a small amount of contentment.

"And don't you worry, Kurama," she replied, scratching at his scalp and smiling with a small purr passed his lips. "Yoko's going to be back sooner than you think, and you'll both be fine."

"Did you like him?" Kurama asked, tilting his head back and looking up at her. "I know it's only been a few days, but he quite enjoyed being able to interact with you directly."

"I know he did," she chuckled, coming around to the front of the couch and sitting on Kurama's lap. "It's amazing how similar you two are, and yet different. I hope I'm not making you jealous by enjoying my time spent with him."

Kurama shook his head, wrapping his arms around her. "We are not so separate that we are individual entities. There is one soul with two expressions, Yoko and myself."

"That's good," Kaori said. "Yusuke wanted to know if we were having threesomes or something." Kurama sighed, shaking his head. "So, what was the Idun Box?"

"During the Dark Tournament, it was used by one of my opponents. It was supposed to revert a person back to being an infant, rendering them helpless. However, since I was neither a normal human nor demon, I was turned back into Yoko until the effects wore off."

"So this seal works the same way?" Kaori asked. "Instead of taking your memory, a part of your consciousness, it took away Yoko who was another part of your consciousness?"

"I believe so."

"Then you have nothing to worry about!"

"I hope so." Kurama rested his head on Kaori's shoulder, nuzzling into her neck and holding her tightly. Kaori wrapped her arms around him, rocking gently.

"I still love you, and I'll be here for you until you get your energy back," Kaori said, resting her chin on his head. "I promise you, we'll get your other half and I'll let you rip Masahiro to shreds for taking Yoko away from us." Kurama sat up and smiled at her.

"Us?" She nodded.

"I love that part of you just as much, and I don't appreciate him putting you through this. I know I can't understand everything that you're going through, but the fact that I can't help makes it so much worse. I would do anything to give you back the rest of yourself, and I promise you they'll pay for this."

Kurama pulled Kaori into a kiss, tightening his arms around her waist and pulling her as close to him as he possibly could. Kaori wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair. Easily he laid her down on the couch, not breaking the contact with her lips as one hand got tangled in her hair, the other sliding down her back.

Kaori pulled back for a moment, getting a breath before Kurama's lips met hers again. "Kurama," she gasped, silenced as he kissed her once more. Kaori melted under him, reveling in the feel of him on top of her and his lips completely devouring her. Finally he pulled back, allowing her to catch her breath and come down from the cloud he put her on. "Why?" she panted out.

"I love you," he breathed, leaning down into the crook of her neck. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Oh," Kaori said, a small blush forming. "But… I didn't do anything. I just won't leave you alone to-"

"Exactly," Kurama said, sitting up and looking into her eyes. "That's it exactly." Kaori smiled, moving a strand of hair out of his face.

"You're sweet," she said, pulling him back into a hug. Kurama chuckled, holding Kaori tight. "You ready to get to Genkai's?"

"In a minute," Kurama mumbled, making Kaori grin again. She knew they were safe, and could sense Hiei sitting on the roof waiting. The fact that he wasn't telling them to move it meant that the area was safe, and it was better to make sure Kurama didn't go insane. It also meant that he didn't gag whenever they were being cutesy.

_**Don't flatter yourself. I still gag.**_

Kaori laughed outright, making Kurama raise an eyebrow.

_You're amazingly patient, _Kaori thought, wiping a tear from her eye. _I expected you to rush us._

_**And I expected you to not get so sentimental. You're as bad as the idiot with his kittens.**_

_Ayame likes kittens. I wonder how she'd feel if she knew you didn't like adorable things. Remind me to ask her._

_**And remind me to remove your vocal chords when this is over.**_ Kaori laughed again, making Kurama sigh. Either she was talking to Hiei about something, or she finally went insane. Either way, you didn't expect to get anything more than a giggle out of her and a 'hn' from Hiei.


	14. Let Me Out

I can't believe this right now. I have a presentation tomorrow, finals starting in a week, yet I managed to crank out a 6,000 word chapter this weekend. Granted, the presentation's supposed to take no more than 5 minutes, but I can't believe I found the time to write this. I can't even figure out how I got the content to all make sense. If it doesn't make sense, let me know., and I'll try to fix it. I dunno if this chapter is flowing right, or if it's just choppy cause I wrote it in pieces. Anyway, this may be my last update for a couple weeks. I'll have time after next Tuesday if I get inspired to crank it out, but then there's more finals upcoming that I should definitely study for. I made sure I put in a bit of fluff to keep you guys satisfied.

Please leave a review if you like or dislike this chapter. Glad you guys are still sticking with this after so long. No promises about when the next update is coming, but do know I'm still with you guys. And for those of you who are observing, Happy Holy Week, Happy Passover, and have a Happy Easter!

**Chapter 14**

Kurama reached the top of Genkai's steps and paused, Kaori looking over at his face. He had a small bead of sweat running down his forehead, and needed a few deep breaths, but was otherwise unaffected. He looked to Kaori and smiled. "One can't rely solely on one's energy if they hope to survive," he said.

"Oh, so those muscles are for just in case?" Kaori said, poking him in the stomach. She was slightly surprised when he didn't flinch.

"Among other things," he said with a grin. Kurama wiped his forehead and turned towards the house. The pair walked up to the door and Kurama slid it open, to see Yukina, Genkai, Ayame and Masuyo sitting in the middle of the room. Hiei leaned against the wall behind Yukina, and Shigure sat opposite them, behind Masuyo and Ayame, against the opposing wall. Genkai was facing the new arrivals and looked up with narrowed eyes.

"If Hiei hadn't told us both of you were coming, I would have been surprised to see you, Kurama," she said.

"Hn. And we thought you were stealthy enough before," Hiei mused. Kurama gave a small smile, moving to stand by his friend's side while Kaori sat across from Genkai, smiling at Yukina. Just as Kurama leaned against the wall, Kuwabara came in through the door on the other side of Hiei, Botan at his side.

"Koenma's not coming, not for a while anyway," he said, sitting next to Yukina as Botan sat between her and Genkai. He looked up and nodded to Kaori. "Hey. When's Kurama getting here?"

"Shortly," Kurama said, making Kuwabara jump and turn around and Botan smile sheepishly.

"Oh man! I didn't even sense you!" Kuwabara gasped, blinking.

"Yes, we've been over this," Shigure growled, annoyed. "His energy is completely gone, and no one can sense him. That just means you need to keep an eye on him so he doesn't get lost."

"His energy isn't gone," Kaori said, looking over at the annoyed human, then to his sister. "It's been sealed, just like Kurogane's."

"But your memory is intact?" Masuyo asked. Kurama hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"I'm different than Kurogane, since I have a human form and a demon form," he said, walking over to the table and sitting to Kaori's left, next to Kuwabara. Yukina poured him a cup of tea and he took it with a grateful smile. "The demon part of me is sealed away with my energy, and I cannot get to him either."

"Good riddance," Shigure said, making Kaori, Masuyo, and Kurama turn to look at him. "If you were possessed by a demon, at least now you're free to be a normal human. After your training, it should be no sweat to build up your spirit energy-"

"I don't _have_ spirit energy," Kurama said, voice cold as his eyes. "I was not _possessed_ by a demon; my soul is that of a demon. Being separated from a part of myself is not liberating in the least, nor do I wish to simply move on without my other half." Kaori put her hand over his now trembling fist, flashing him a small smile and calming him slightly before his gaze moved back to his tea cup. Shigure just continued to glare, annoyed.

"So we need to find a way to undo Masahiro's chant," Botan said, trying to keep the conversation moving.

"Or try to speed up the recovery process," Kaori said, keeping an eye on Shigure. "It took Kurogane a couple weeks, but his energy and memory returned without him fighting it out."

"Though a good fight would release some of your frustration," Genkai mused, sipping from her tea. Kurama nodded once in the affirmative, sipping from his own cup. "Tiring out your body will relax your mind, as well as show you where your limitations are."

"Very well," Kurama said. Shigure kept silent, looking off and out of the window. It didn't bother him that they weren't continuing on with the mission. In fact, he was sure they planned this, so Yusuke and the lightning demons could team up with those other demons and just take over. He'd just tell Koenma about how much work his 'detective team' was doing later.

After tea and more small talk, the group moved outside. Yukina, Botan, Masuyo and Genkai sat on the porch, while Kaori, Ayame and the men headed out a ways to the clearing. "I'll go against you first," Kuwabara volunteered. "I'll go easy on you, just to warm you up."

"It is appreciated," Kurama said, turning to face him. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Kuwabara waited a moment, and then ran at him. Kurama opened his eyes just in time to see Kuwabara's punch, and barely managed to dodge, throwing a hand up to deflect the blow. Kuwabara swung again, and this time Kurama stepped away much more gracefully. He continued to dodge Kuwabara's punches, eyes focused and alert. Only once did he almost stumble, noticing a rock just before it was too late.

"Not bad," Ayame commented with a smile. "He doesn't look to have slowed down much."

"He's not as smooth," Kaori added.

"He must concentrate more instead of feeling his enemy," Hiei said, eyes narrowed. Kurama ducked another punch and kicked Kuwabara in the side. The human seemed startled as he fell back a few feet, clutching at his ribs. Kurama then ran at him, punches mostly blocked or countered, though a few got past the defense and landed on their target.

Kuwabara fell to the ground panting, looking up to Kurama who stood with both fists up. His breathing seemed under control, making Kuwabara smile. Kurama returned the gesture, holding his hand out to help Kuwabara to his feet. "Thank you for that," Kurama said with a smile.

"No problem," Kuwbara said.

"Yes, I guess he's used to the detective beating him," Hiei mused. "This must be gentler on him."

"Shut up, Hiei!" Kuwabara shouted, turning his attention to the shorter man. "I don't see you jumping in to fight me!"

"That would be cruel," Hiei countered, crossing his arms. "You were just beaten by a demon with no weapons and no energy. I'm doing you a favor by letting you survive."

"Didn't do me any favors," Ayame mumbled. "You've been launching random attacks on a spiritually retarded human girl in the name of 'training' ever since these lightning guys showed up."

"You've been fighting a girl?" Kuwabara yelled.

Meanwhile, Kaori walked out onto the field to where Kurama still stood.

"How do you feel?" she asked. Kurama thought a moment before answering.

"Slightly disoriented," he said. "My fighting strategies have always been centered on my ability to feel my surroundings. With that taken away, and my preferred weapons unavailable, I feel I must find new tactics while being blind in one eye, so to speak." Kaori nodded her head in agreement, raising her fists. Kurama raised a hand to stop her, but she pushed it down.

"I'm not actually going to fight you," she said. "I want you to think through these new tactics." Relatively slowly, she thrust a fist forward, and Kurama caught her wrist between both of his fists. "Good." Kaori pulled back a step and threw a kick. Kurama jumped back, wary as she continued to advance.

"This is when I'd pull out my whip and push you farther away," he said, continuing to backpedal.

"So you just need another way to take me by surprise or get me to back up," she said, continuing the advance. She could see Kurama's mind working, before he caught her foot and twisted, pushing it back and up. Kaori had to flip to land on her feet, and then jumped back again as a kick came from Kurama. He sent a few more her way before pausing with a small smile.

"Thank you," he said with a small bow.

"Why, because I reminded you that you have long legs?" Kaori asked with a bow of her own. Kurama chuckled at this.

"As a matter of fact, yes," he said, walking over to her and pulling her into an embrace. She put her arms around his waist too, holding him tight before pulling back and turning towards and advancing Shigure.

"Were you the stronger one out of the two of you?" he asked, looking towards Kuwabara and Hiei who were still bickering before turning back to Kurama.

"I doubt my energy comes close to Kaori's," he replied calmly.

"Is that why he singled you out?" Shigure asked, a small smirk on his face.

"I was not singled out," Kurama replied calmly.

"In fact, he saved me and Yusuke," Kaori said, pulling him closer. "It was Masahiro's last ditch effort to get us to stop beating him and Yoko sacrificed himself for us."

"Yoko?" Shigure asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My demon side," Kurama stated. "I doubt you would want to meet him. He did not appreciate the conditions under which we met."

"Well, at least you're safe now," Shigure mused. "With your lack of energy, I doubt I could actually hurt you."

"I'm overwhelmed with relief," Kurama replied, releasing Kaori from his hold and squarely facing Shigure. "A fight with you would be interesting, though I believe we've already had that experience."

"And we definitely won," Kaori filled in, poking Kurama in the side. Shigure growled and threw a punch at Kurama, who deflected it and threw his own. Kaori sighed at the testosterone battle playing out before her. "And I guess that point's null and void then, huh?"

Shigure ducked Kurama's blow and swung a leg out. Kurama jumped over it, landing in a push-up and righting himself in a second, right after kicking at Shigure himself. The latter jumped backwards, pulling his fists up and charging at Kurama. His eyes narrowed as he threw punch after punch, frustration growing as Kurama managed to just dodge every one. With a growl he charged up his energy, getting Kurama in the chin and throwing him backwards into the grass.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Kuwabara shouted as Kurama stood back up. "You can't use your energy on a demon!"

"As of right now, he isn't one," Shigure said with a smirk. "Don't worry, he'll be perfectly fine."

"Yes, Kuwabara," Kurama agreed, spitting out a bit of blood from his now split lip. "I'll be perfectly fine." Shigure ran at him again, and this time Kurama blocked most of his blows instead of trying to outmaneuver all of them. Kaori watched in amazement how Shigure's glowing fists did not have any severe impact on Kurama's body, only being a bit stronger than the punches without energy. In fact, Kaori realized, Kurama could not even tell when Shigure was lacing his hits with energy and when he wasn't.

Kurama got a kick square in Shigure's chest, sending him back and few feet and putting him on the defensive. Kurama charged at him with a flurry of punches and kicks. Shigure did all he could to block half the shots and had to avoid or just take the rest. "Not bad," he said, jumping away. Kurama however didn't let up and continued to follow. Shigure made a wall of his energy in front of him, expecting Kurama to hesitate.

However, he continued through as if he didn't even know it was there, punching Shigure in the jaw and sending him back into a tree. Kurama was panting, fists up, eyes watching Shigure as he slid to the ground. Kaori walked up, eyeing him. She noticed a few slight shudders and held up her hand as Shigure stood.

"That's enough exercise for one day," she said. She put a hand on Kurama's fist and he lowered them, opting to put his hands on his knees as he worked on catching his breath.

"I'm not done yet," Shigure growled, getting to his feet.

"He is," Kaori repeated firmly, standing in front of Kurama. "If you want to keep fighting, then fight me, but you're letting Kurama rest." She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Kurama, whose head was still bent, still panting for breath.

"I'm fine," he breathed, "just winded."

"Sure you are," Kaori said, putting a hand to his forehead. Masuyo and Genkai came walking over to the group. "Masuyo, how was Kurogane when you found him?"

"Unconscious," she said, eyeing Kurama. "He was really warm though, did a lot of sweating before he woke up."

"Like his body was fighting off the seal as if it were an infection," Genkai mused. "Why?"

"He's burning up," Kaori said, lifting Kurama's head to look at his face. His panting was slower, but it was still labored, and his eyes were shut with concentration.

"He should not be that tired, even without his energy," Hiei said.

"He was exhausted this morning and recovered fairly quickly," Kaori said, looking over to the setting sun. "I guess it has been a long day for you."

"This is a different exhaustion," Kurama said, opening his eyes. Kaori blinked at him, moving his hair out of his face for a better view. Sure enough, little gold specs dotted his irises around his dilated pupils. "I should get some rest."

"Definitely," Kaori said, wrapping an arm around his waist and helping him walk back to Genkai's home with his arm over her shoulder. "Master Genkai?"

"You may stay as long as necessary," she said.

"I'll make sure to inform Lord Koenma about Kurama's condition," Botan said, taking Kurama's other arm. "It's safest if we all stay here anyway, I suppose."

"Safe?" Shigure asked incredulously. "How are we any safer here than we were at my sister's? What do they want from us?"

"Me," Kaori said, walking Kurama up the stairs. Kuwabara opened the door for the trio as they disappeared into the house and followed quickly behind.

"So shouldn't we be farther away from her?" Shigure growled out.

"If you're so worried, why don't you put one of your barriers around the building?" Genkai asked, walking up the stairs as well, followed by Ayame, Yukina and Masuyo. "My wards should keep out most, and any strong intruders would be stopped by your demon killing energy."

"Fine," Shigure said, heading around to the front of the house. He paused, turning to see Hiei following behind him. "What do _you_ want?"

"You need to watch your temper," he replied calmly. "I saw you becoming undone in your fight against Kurama. Holding a grudge against him or any of us for what we are will solve nothing."

"And I guess I'm supposed to trust you?"

"Everyone else does." With that, Hiei disappeared back into the house, leaving Shigure to glower at where he had been standing. He saw Yukina and Kuwabara in the kitchen, Botan in the main room talking on her compact, and Genkai sitting aside her sipping tea. He moved into the back, following Kaori's energy and Kurama's scent into one of the spare rooms.

She was sitting on her knees on the bed, her back against the headboard. Kurama was laying back, eyes closed, and head propped up on Kaori's lap, while she stroked his hair. His breaths were deep and even, though sweat still collected on his brow.

"He fell asleep almost instantly," Kaori said, gaining Hieis attention. "He never falls asleep this fast."

"He's exhausted," Hiei said, not sure why he even spoke up to consol her.

"His body's fighting to get his energy back," Kaori said, wiping off his forehead before going back to stroking his hair. "Kurogane didn't remember how his energy felt, or that he even had demon energy, and it took him a while to get it back gradually. Kurama is fully aware of the barrier, plus Yoko is trying to get free."

"So he will recover faster," Hiei said calmly.

"He's already started." Two pairs of eyes looked to Genkai, standing in the doorway. Koenma stood behind her to her right. "I saw the gold in his eyes too, Kaori," she continued. "You were not hallucinating."

"His technique is quite similar to Shigure's energy," Koenma said with a curt nod. "Kurogane was weak at the time of his binding, and it took until his energy recovered before it could be released. Yoko was much stronger when he was bound, so he has more energy to invest in breaking out. That and the fact that he is indeed, consciously breaking out."

"Can you look for Yoko?" Kaori asked, pulling Kurama up farther. His head rested now against her chest, arms down loosely at his side while hers wrapped around his torso, locking just over his stomach. Hiei walked to the bedside and closed his eyes, Jagan glowing under his headband. Kaori waited patiently, while Koenma seemed on edge.

"Well?" he asked. Genkai looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Look, while Yusuke is my official detective, this is a relatively delicate situation. The sooner Kurama gets better, the sooner we can solve this case with the least amount of harm done."

"And of course you care about his health too," Kaori said, looking away from Hiei to lock eyes with the prince. Koenma nodded, pulling his gaze away from hers, disliking the goose bumps he was getting from her stare. "And there's no way that you're trying to rush his recovery to save yourself some unnecessary embarrassment from this whole case."

"What do you mean?" Koenma asked, shocked and slightly annoyed that Kaori would bring it up. He was even more shocked that she didn't flinch, and had the same calculating eyes as the kitsune on her lap.

"You knew who Kurogane was, and that there was more going on behind the scenes," Kaori continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had more information on the alliance that's after me, worried that they'll say something to convince me to help overthrow you. Correct?" Her eyes bore into him as his grew slightly. "Yeah, I'm guessing you know all about them, but you don't trust me still. Well don't worry, Kurama, Hiei and I have no desire to switch sides."

"Kurama and Hiei?" Koenma asked slowly. Hiei scoffed, keeping his eyes closed.

"Masahiro thinks the two of us would be good assets to his group," he said. "We turned him down, of course. It's so much better to have a leader we can trust." Koenma narrowed his eyes at the back of the fire demon, debating whether or not he had more to say to him.

Any reply was killed when Kurama had a spasm in Kaori's arms. Kaori jumped, holding him tightly as his breathing quickened. "Hiei?"

"I heard him for a moment," he said, opening his eyes. "Did you feel that?"

"The brief flicker of energy," Genkai said with a nod. "His energy is overcoming Masahiro's." She turned to Koenma. "Do not disturb him from his slumber. It may not all come back tonight, but any rest is helping. The next time he wakes up on his own, tire him out again with another fight. That seems to be what loosened him up." That last part was directed to the two demons. With that she turned and walked out of the room.

"Keep me updated," Koenma said before he left as well, heading back to his office. Hiei looked to Kaori, whose grip did not loosen, even as Kurama relaxed back into a calm sleep.

"Do you want me to keep everyone away?" he asked. Kaori shook her head.

"I can do it," she said, energy flaring. Hiei nodded, flitting out of the room as her energy filled it and sealed it off, ears and tails coming out as her energy was unmasked. She reached a hand up to continue stroking Kurama's hair as he slept, closing her own eyes. "Can't wait to have all of you back, my love," she whispered in his ear.

14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 (^_^) 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

Unfortunately, Kurama didn't get his energy back that night, nor did he wake up the next morning or the entire day. Night rolled in, and Yukina began to worry about Kaori keeping her energy up as well. It didn't hurt anyone who went to check on them, it only repelled them from the doorway. Yusuke called Kuwabara to check in twice, hoping Kurama could at least tell him what to do next. With no guidance, he just played cool, having Hitashi help him gather info on the demons in the alliance.

Two more nights passed before Yukina convinced Hiei and Ayame to try and get Kaori to eat something for a little while. It was decided that Shigure would not try to enter, who claimed to be able, for fear of either him or Kaori getting hurt by the other's energy. Hiei got to the door and reached to slide it open, growling when a cackle of energy pushed his hand back. Ayame jumped, not knowing what to do.

_**You need to eat**_, he said to Kaori, shifting his weight to his other foot, looking at the food Ayame held. _**Yukina made extras so you won't need to be disturbed again for a while.**_

_I'm not hungry,_ was the short reply.

_**But you're getting tired. I could probably force my way in if I wanted. **_Kaori didn't reply, but he could hear her sigh inside. _**You relax while you eat, and I'll watch over him for you.**_

He could tell she was debating inside the room, and finally her energy receded. Hiei nodded to Ayame, who tentatively slid the door open, peering in. It seemed Kaori hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, holding Kurama against her. Her ears were dropping however, and her limp tails dangled off the side of the bed. She looked up and smiled at the new arrivals. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Ayame said, walking over and putting one plate of food next to Kaori and sitting on the side of the bed with the other. "We're eating dinner together!"

"Yay," Kaori smiled. "I hadn't realized how long it's been since I've eaten anything."

"That's 'cause you've been sitting in here all isolated for three whole days," Ayame said, picking up a pair of chopsticks and pointing at Kaori. "You and I both know that Kurama does not want anything to happen to you while he's out."

"And Hiei and I both know that I can't just leave him alone to get attacked overnight," Kaori said. Ayame raised an eyebrow and looked at Hiei, who just sat by the window and looked out boredly.

"Hey, you told me that the blood on your sword was from a deer," Ayame said, pointing her chopsticks at his back.

"Hn," was the reply.

"Why didn't you tell us demons were coming by?" she whined.

"Because Genkai's wards kept away the weakest, and Hiei took out any before they got to Shigure's energy," Kaori said. "I bet no one else even knows that they sent a few scouts over."

"And it's going to stay that way," Hiei said. Ayame sighed defeated as Kaori reached over and got some food without moving her other hand from around Kurama.

"How's he doing?" Ayame asked, looking the red head over. He was no longer sweating profusely, but sleep still claimed him.

"He twitched a few times, but he hasn't woken up yet," Kaori said, resting her head on top of his. "I did feel a bit of his energy yesterday and again last night, and each time he spasmed once before it went away again."

"Is he fighting his body?" Ayame asked, sitting down her plate.

"Basically," Hiei said, finally looking over. "Being in his human form always limits the amount of energy he has. He will most likely have to transform to completely break the binding."

"Could I give him some of my energy?" Kaori asked, looking over to Hiei. "He could channel it into his human body and get enough energy without having to fight to completely change." He thought for a moment before nodding.

"If we can get some of his energy to seep out, give him some of your own," he said, rising and walking to the bedside. "That will be his strongest push, and the only way to get your energy past the seal." He took off his headband and closed his eyes, opening the Jagan to search Kurama's mind again.

"So cool," Ayame mumbled. Hiei opened his mouth to insult her but was cut off.

_HIEI!_

He stumbled back a step, looking at Kurama's calm body.

_HIEI! LET ME OUT!_

_**Yoko?**_

_HIEI! _The frantic screaming was unmistakable.

_**I can hear you, fox. How-**_

_LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! _Kurama twitched once more before his body remained still.

_**Listen, **_he tried again.

_LET ME OUT! HIEI! LET ME OUT! YOU HAVE TO LET ME OUT! HIEI LET ME OUT! HIEI!_

"Well?" Kaori asked hopeful.

"Well, at least Yoko's still alive," Hiei said, trying to block the demon's shouting. "He keeps yelling to let him out. I don't know if he can actually hear me or has just been calling and hoping I'm listening."

"So what do we do?" Ayame asked, standing up by Hiei's side.

"Go get me a cup of water," he said. Ayame went to the bathroom and filled up a small cup, coming back with a slightly confused look on her face. Hiei took the cup and splashed it on Kurama's face. Almost instantly the body twitched, face contorting as a spasm rocked his body. A small amount of energy seeped out, Kaori's cue to close her eyes and try to feed her energy into him.

_HIEI! HIEI! HIE-KAORI! PLEASE KAORI! LET ME OUT KAORI! KAORI! LET ME OUT!_

"Well, at least he's not shouting my name anymore," Hiei said. Kurama's energy continued to fight through and Kaori concentrated more on giving him slow, steady doses of her energy. Suddenly, Kurama sat up, eyes shooting open and gold eyes frantically searching.

"Let me out!" he shouted in a distinctly human voice, wincing as another spasm shook his body. Kaori pulled him back against her as he panted, looking around frantically. Ayame jumped away from him, catching his attention for a moment as he tried to decide between fleeing and fighting. A cornered fox was never a good thing, and being trapped in one's own body took the cake. "Kaori?"

"I'm right here," Kaori whispered in his ear, running her fingers through his hair. "We're back in the Ningenkai." His energy continued to fluctuate between nothing and about half his strength in his human body. The fox seemed to notice this right away.

"This isn't my body," he said, adrenaline pumping. "This isn't my body!"

"You were turned into Shuichi after you were sealed," Hiei said. Realizing that he was so close made Yoko jump and nearly fall off the bed. Kaori gripped him tightly, nuzzling against his neck in an effort to calm him down while simultaneously pulling him back from the edge.

It seemed to be working, as Yoko's panting slowed and his heartbeat returned to normal. He closed his eyes, trying to relax against Kaori. "The detective!" he said, eyes snapping open again.

"He's fine too," Kaori said softly. "You saved us, both of us. He went back to the lightening kingdom and I brought you back here, Shuichi I mean, until we could get your energy back."

"Shuichi," Yoko said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Was he alright?"

"Yep," Kaori said, looking over to Hiei. It was obvious that she was the only one keeping him calm, and extra people would keep him tense. Hiei nodded and nudged Ayame. She got the hint and quietly went out the door to the room, Hiei shutting it behind them. "Can you feel him?" Kaori continued.

Yoko paused, then nodded, peace finally passing over his face. "What happened to him?"

"He had no energy, so we had to get him out of the Makai. We were worried we lost you forever."

"I was worried I'd lose me forever," Yoko cut in with a shiver. "It was like being bound to a wall, except you can't move your body anymore, can't blink, can't look around, can't even see anything. I could feel my energy bound, getting forced smaller and smaller and smaller. It hurt like physical pain I've yet to experience. And so small! No room, nowhere to go, nothing to do but try to get out."

"I'm sorry," Kaori said. "You're back now though."

"Not fully," he sighed, another shudder passing by. "I'm so tired, I don't know how much longer I can do this. I don't want to go back there, to get trapped again."

"Take some of my energy," Kaori offered, sliding out from behind him. Yoko barely controlled his fall onto the pillow. He looked up and smiled at Kaori who tilted her head to the side with curiosity.

"It's interesting, seeing you with my own eyes in a different body," he said. "I'm not used to being so weak around you."

"You have to work on that pride, Yoko," Kaori chuckled, stroking his forehead.

"Hard to do when it's justified, my dear," Yoko purred, closing his eyes. Kaori laughed, leaning down and giving him a kiss. Just as she did before, she poured her energy into his body, allowing him to take as much as he needed. Only now could she sense the faint traces of Masahiro's energy within his body, and those traces were quickly being erased. She pulled back, watching Kurama take a few more deep breaths. His energy was stable. Weak, sure, but stable nonetheless. Purple irises waited patiently until they were met by deep emerald orbs.

"Hey," Kurama said softly.

"Hey yourself," Kaori said. Kurama closed his eyes and sighed. "Well?"

"He's back." At this Kaori grinned, noticing the slight curve up on Kurama's lips.

"And I guess that means your sanity has returned as well," she asked. Kurama nodded again, pulling Kaori into a hug.

"Thank you again for the energy," he said, giving her a squeeze. "That is the second time you've done that for me."

"You know I do everything in my power to make sure you're ok," she said, giving him a quick kiss.

"We have to stop getting into these types of predicaments." Kurama pulled Kaori into a longer deeper kiss. She sighed contentedly, even as he rolled over on top of her and wrapped an arm under her back.

"Yeah, you really do." Both jumped and pulled apart, Kurama surprisingly falling off the bed onto the floor. Hiei gave a chuckle from the doorway as he looked at their faces, one blushing and one glaring. "I'm starting to wonder if you put yourself in danger just for the attention you receive afterwards."

"Naturally," Kurama said, standing to his feet. "There's no way to get affection like putting yourself in harm's way. You've seen right through my plan Hiei. How undeniably clever of you."

"That was really your plan?" Ayame asked, leaning in from around the doorframe. Kurama and Kaori sweatdropped while Hiei rolled his eyes, shoved her out of the room and shut the door once more. The two remaining occupants listened to the two bicker as they walked away, leaving them alone.

"Great plan, Kurama," Kaori smiled, pulling his attention from the door. "I would expect such a plan from Yoko, but from you? How interesting."

The smirk that passed Kurama's face clearly belonged to the other occupant of his body. He leaned in to Kaori's ear, breath tickling her neck. "What makes you think it wouldn't be my plan, my dear?" the low smooth voice purred. Kaori closed her eyes as a shiver went down her spine. A few kisses along her neck and the drag of a fang let her know without a doubt who was now sitting on the bed beside her.

Instead of allowing him to continue showing his affection, she pulled back, looking into his gold eyes and moving silver tresses from his face. "I'm glad to see that you are well too," she said. "I really was worried about you."

"As I was for you," Yoko said, placing a hand on her cheek. "The last I saw, you were still fighting Masahiro, and I was too occupied to help you. Forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Kaori gasped. "If it wasn't for you, all three of us would've been bound, and probably would've died right there in the forest. The only thing I need to forgive you for is not being smart enough to protect yourself along with us."

"I was too close, and I did not have enough energy to erect two barriers with enough energy to repel that attack," Yoko countered. "I had to choose between you two and myself. It was a very easy decision."

"No it wasn't!" Kaori said. "You were traumatized from those four days of isolation! And I"m sure you would have figured out how to save us faster than we saved you!"

"Yes, but at least I saved you," he replied, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "Any discomfort, no matter how great and how long, is worth it when the prize is great enough. I would have stayed there for three times as long if it was the only way to ensure that you were safe, no matter what it did to me."

Kaori couldn't help the tear that slid out of her eye, rubbing it away and shielding her face from Yoko. "Just run me into a tree again why don't ya," she mumbled, making him laugh and pull her down onto her side with him.

"I promised I would express my sentiments in a much safer and more private place," he purred, pulling her against him. "I could spend all night explaining why I loved you if that is what you so desired." Kaori giggled, kissing his nose. A thought crossed her mind and she paused for a moment, slightly concerned.

"Does it involve shacking?" Yoko laughed again, pulling Kaori even closer with a dark glint in his eye.

"Not yet, my dear. I don't think you're ready for what would lay in store for you."

Kaori narrowed her eyes at him, though a blush still stained her cheeks. "You really need to work on that pride of yours." Yoko flashed her a grin.

"It is completely justified, my dear. Maybe you'll have a dream about it tonight though, and I'll get some ideas about what you'd like."

"SHUT UP!"


	15. Bonding

Hello all of you! So, we went on vacation last week, and I had hoped to get this posted before I left. The chapter was done and all, but I didn't read through it, and I didn't want it to be crappy.

Well, here it is in it's semi-proofread state (I suck at proofreading). I'm playing with something in here, then the real plot's going to come back in next chapter. Read and review my darlings!

**Chapter 15**

Ayame couldn't help but grin as Kaori came into the kitchen, bouncing happily and humming a song with a smile on her face. "Good morning to you," Ayame said, flipping over a pancake and putting it on the stack with the rest. "I'm guessing everything worked out last night?"

"Uh huh!" Kaori replied, pulling out a carton of orange juice. "Yoko stopped freaking out, Kurama has his sanity back, and I don't have to keep giving up my energy!" She grabbed a few glasses, looked to the number of plates stacked, and grabbed a few more. "Where's everyone else?"

"Either waking up or sitting outside," Ayame replied, pulling off the bacon and making her last batch of eggs. "I told Yukina I'd make breakfast today, so she and Kuwabara went on an early morning walk to grab us so flowers."

"So cute!" Kaori said, pouring juice in all the cups. The oven buzzed, and she turned it off, reaching in and pulling out a tray of biscuits. Ayame raised an eyebrow and Kaori grinned, pointing at herself casually while adding, "Fire demon."

"Not gonna get used to that," Ayame sighed, turning off the unused burners. "You know, a lot's been happening lately. I think we should go on a vacation after this mission is finished. That way I get to know all these guys outside of the context of demon fighting and world saving."

"Agreed." Kaori began setting places at the table in the dining room. "You do like us so far, right?"

"You and Shuichi are fine," Ayame said, moving the pancakes to the center of the table. "It's 'Kurama' and Hiei and everyone else I need to figure out."

"But you've been with Hiei the most lately. You have to know him a bit more by now." Ayame scoffed, making Kaori raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not allowed to go anywhere without my sword, I have to train as often as possible to make sure I stay safe, and the only words that ever come out of his mouth are 'again' or some variant of 'you suck, go die.' That's not really a lot to go by." Ayame turned around to head back to the kitchen to see Kaori blocking her path and an eyebrow still raised. "Eh..?"

"Did he tell you to stay safe?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, he said I need to be good enough for the next time Shigure left me to defend myself. He was actually really mad last time…" At this, Kaori's other eyebrow rose. A look of recognition crossed Ayame's face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "That's right, you guys weren't here when we almost died."

"You almost died?" Kurama asked, walking into the dining room and rubbing his hair and styling it after his shower. Ayame chuckled nervously, walking back to grab the bacon before she continued.

"Not really," she said, putting one plate on either end of the table. "When Masahiro showed up, the guys were fighting, and Shigure jumped in, which made Hiei all kinds of upset. He had to save me and Masuyo from the collapsing back wall."

"And Shigure's stupidity." All three turned to see Hiei enter through the side door, carrying his cloak and wrapping his right arm. "You did not almost _die_."

"Exactly!" Kaori said with a grin. "I'm sure there's no way Hiei would let anything happen to you!"

"Really?" Hiei and Ayame replied in unison. Ayame glared at Hiei who only smirked in return. Kurama chuckled, heading into the kitchen and grabbing the cups of juice.

"Yes really," Kaori said, putting her arm around Ayame. "I'd kill him the moment I found out anything happened to my favorite human!" She let out a laugh, tossing her head back and made Ayame chuckle nervously.

"Hn," Hiei muttered, walking through the dining room and towards the living room. "If keeping your pet human alive is all that I need to do to keep you happy and leaving me alone, so be it." With that he left, shutting the other door behind him as Kurama re-entered. He set the cups on the table while Ayame's glare stayed on the door separating her from Hiei. Kurama could've sworn he saw lightning cracking in the path.

"Pet human?" Ayame said, eye twitching. Kaori giggled, skipping back off to the kitchen to grab the biscuits and condiments. "And what's got you so giggly, Miss Ikeda?"

"Just thinking about stuff!" she sang, coming back and placing the biscuits in front of her intended seat, then used her tails to set the syrup and butter on the table. "You should go get everyone for breakfast." Ayame sent her a glare, mumbling as she went outside. Kaori beamed at her back, giggling again once the door slid shut behind her.

"So what has you so giggly, Miss Ikeda?" Kurama asked, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her head between her ears. He smiled when she jumped.

"Totally forgot you were in here," she admitted. "I just think it's interesting that Hiei's putting so much effort into Ayame's safety."

"Oh?" Kurama asked, curious.

"Think about it," Kaori continued, spinning around to face him. "When Hiei doesn't care for someone, does he go out of his way to make sure that they're fine, or does he hope for an accident to rid himself of their presence?"

"Point taken, but how do you know he does not care for her because of her friendship with us?"

"Because then the responsibility would have fallen to Shigure to protect her," Kaori interrupted, grin back on her face. "Why would Hiei make a point to keep Aya safe when he could just bash Shigure over the head and make him do his job? Does Hiei ever go out of his way to pick up someone else's slack?"

Kurama thought for a moment and shook his head. Before he opened his mouth to speak, the living room door slid open, revealing a glaring fire demon. "Are you done analyzing me?" he growled out.

Kaori grinned broadly at him, slipping out of Kurama's arms and sauntered over to him. "Oh Hiei," she purred. "We were just a bit curious, that's all."

"Curious?" Hiei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We?" Kurama asked, raising his own. Kaori shot him a glare before smiling back at Hiei.

"Yes, _we_ were just a bit curious. You are quite an interesting fellow, Hiei."

Hiei scoffed and looked past her to Kurama. "Your woman needs to stop watching those disgusting girl movies with Yusuke's woman," he said, walking over and sitting against the wall.

"Of course," Kurama said with a grin as he headed back in for plates.

"That was one time!" Kaori complained as the front door opened and Genkai strolled in. She was followed by Yukina, Kuwabara, Botan and Ayame, who headed straight off towards the bedrooms to fetch Masuyo and Shigure.

"It's so good to see you up and well!" Botan chirped as Kurama finished setting the table, making him smile apologetically.

"I'm sorry for concerning you, Botan," he replied as everyone moved to their set places. Genkai took the head, Botan on her left and Kurama on her right. Hiei sat next to Botan, across from Kaori, who gladly took a spot next to Kurama. Yukina set out a bouquet of wild flowers and sat next to Hiei, to his quiet delight, and Kuwabara sat on her other side, to his obvious chagrin. They silently waited for Ayame to return with the last two siblings, which she did after only a few minutes.

Ayame took a seat next to Kaori, still eying the bubbly kitsune funny. Shigure sat to her right, allowing his sister to sit at the other end of the table, across from Genkai. After a moment of silence, they all dug in simultaneously.

"This is really good," Kuwabara said.

"Thank you," Ayame replied, sipping some orange juice. "So now that Kurama's back to normal, what's the plan?"

"Well, Koenma's coming soon to discuss what needs to be done," Botan said, setting down her biscuit. "He doesn't like that they know so much about us."

"Doesn't he know anything about them?" Kurama asked. Hiei's eyes held Kaori's for a moment before both looked back to their food. Kurama raised an eyebrow as Genkai snorted, sipping from her cup.

"If he does I'm sure he'll share it with us," Botan said, slightly confused.

"It has been rather calm lately," Kuwabara said. "Thanks for that protective barrier, Shigure."

"No problem," the latter replied, picking at his food.

"It was hardly necessary," Hiei said. "Glad it gave you humans peace of mind." Shigure cut his eyes at Hiei, narrowing them while the he only smirked, eating another piece of bacon.

"Better than just sitting around and doing nothing," Shigure muttered.

"I appreciated it," Ayame said giving him a weak smile. _Well, I did before I knew Hiei made it useless…_she added in her mind. Shigure looked at her a moment before letting a small smile of his own slip.

"How has Yusuke been doing?" Kurama asked, trying to ignore the petty bickering that Ayame was trying to quell.

"I'm surprised the idiot hasn't called yet today to see how you're doing," Genkai mused. "He rivaled Kaori in his worry, and he's not even in this world."

"Yes, it never gets old watching him panic," Hiei smirked.

"Does the detective usually rely on others to do his job?" Shigure asked. Kaori and Kuwabara almost choked on their food from laughter, while Kurama chuckled lightly.

"He is better at some parts of his profession than others," Kurama said delicately. "Diplomacy was never his strong point, nor was he particularly sensitive to spiritual things around him. That was why our team was assembled, to balance out his weaknesses with our strengths."

"He was a lot like you when I met him," Botan said, head up in thought. "Talked with his fists and little else."

"Maybe you should hang around more," Ayame said, nudging Shigure. "You two may end up as fast friends." Shigure looked at her again, before catching the glare Hiei sent his way. Kaori caught it too and something flashed across her eyes.

"You know, you'll probably see a lot of us for the next bit," she said, smiling at Masuyo. "We should all hang out instead of just sitting around worried about the mission. We can relax, hang out around town, and get to know each other better. Unity is important in times like these."

"Yeah!" Kuwabara agreed. "We can all take in a movie or stop by the fair by the river." Here he went off on how he'd win Yukina every prize she wanted, making her giggle and smile at him.

"I'd like that," Masuyo said with a genuine smile.

"Me too," Shigure said, looking once more at Ayame before returning his eyes to his plate. Kaori watched as Hiei ground his teeth together, eyes boring into Shigure before he turned his glare onto Kaori. She smirked back at him.

_**What are you scheming?**_ Hiei snarled in her mind.

_So interesting, Hiei,_ Kaori replied, sipping some orange juice.

_**Keep those fantasies aimed at your fox and leave me out of them.**_ Kaori almost chocked on her juice, glaring at the fire demon who disappeared from the table. Kurama placed a hand on her back and she nodded, coughing a few times to clear her lungs.

Outside, two voices could be heard making their way to the building. While one seemed to be talking normally, the other was practically shouting.

"I can assure you, he's fine."

"Not until I see him with my own eyes!"

"Please just calm down."

"I am calm! I just-OW! Stupid barrier!" Inside Shigure winced as he felt a slight tug on his energy. However, it ended in a moment, though the two continued to walk closer.

"Listen, I know he's our friend, but this is very important. I just wish someone was still there to keep me informed on the situation."

"Trust me, I was not the one to get left behind." The main door slid open and all eyes slid to the living room. "Hey Grandma! Where are ya?"

"Why don't you use that blockhead of yours and look you dimwit!" Genkai shouted, making those at the table with sensitive hearing wince. Yusuke slid open the door with a glare, before his eyes fell onto Kurama.

"You're ok!" he shouted, pointing almost accusingly. He then turned to Kuwabara, glare returning. "You told me he was in a coma!"

"He was, Urameshi!" the boy defended. "He was out for like, 3 whole days! He only just woke up today!"

"Last night," Kaori interrupted. "I didn't expect you to make the trip back from Makai, or I would have called you. Sorry, Yusuke."

"It's cool," Yusuke said, entering the room and sitting in Hiei's recently vacated seat. Now that the doorway was clear, Koenma came in, eyes narrowed at his detective.

"The way you were crying on the way over here, I thought you were going to complain a bit longer," he said, elbow meeting the top of Yusuke's head. He fell face first into the empty plate in front of him, wincing as he sat up.

"I wasn't crying!" he retorted.

"Oh shut up and let's get to the point," Genkai said, standing and gesturing for Koenma to sit at the head of the table. "As much as I enjoy you freeloaders eating my food, you do have a mission to complete."

"My sentiments exactly," Koenma said, sitting at the table and taking a deep breath. He looked around him, from Kurama on his right all the way around to Botan on his left. "Where's Hiei?"

"Sitting in the living room," Kaori said. "Don't worry, I'm sure he can hear you fine."

"Good," Koenma said, closing his eyes. "As you all know, there is more than Masahiro for us to deal with."

"How many?" Shigure asked immediately.

"We're not entirely sure," Koenma continued. "By our estimates, there are three-"

"Four," Kaori corrected, catching everyone's attention. Koenma merely shook his head.

"There are three remaining leaders of a demon coalition," he continued, now resting his arms on the table. "Nobuo, Takeshi, and Masahiro, whom you've already met."

"And Reika," Kaori insisted. "She may not be leading an army or directing orders to their followers, but she's just as powerful and probably more dangerous than the other three."

"We've looked into it," Koenma said, shaking his head once more. "According to my sources, Reika is dead."

"I looked them up too," Yusuke chimed in. "Hitashi has some people in some very high and low places. The last anyone heard of her was a couple of years ago when there was a dispute. She hasn't come up at all in their networks."

"We're one hundred percent confident that she is gone," Koenma said. "The compound where Masahiro was headed has been scouted, and we can name just about every demon who goes in and out. She is not among them."

"But Masahiro referred to her by name," Kurama interjected, taking everyone's attention. "He distinctly said 'Nobuo and Reika' while we were following him."

"Exactly," Kaori said, placing her hands balling into fists on the table. "I don't expect her to be in the forefront, nor for anyone outside of their closest circle to know her role. I met her, Koenma, and you cannot underestimate her based on a lack of information."

"What information _do_ you have?" Genkai asked, folding her arms and closing her eyes in thought.

"We know that the compound where Masahiro is located is their main stronghold in the Demon World," Koenma said, slightly annoyed. He regularly expected Yusuke to be a smart-aleck and try to undermine his authority. However, Kaori and Kurama had been opposing him from nearly the beginning, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. He did not want to accept that there was a hole in his reconnaissance, but he never enjoyed improvising on the fly. "The warehouses have been abandoned, but we did see some remains of their artificial human experiments. There has been a lot of light activity around, so it's possible that they simply moved their operations to another location. Unfortunately, most of that activity is by the river, where the fair is happening tonight, and we need you to make sure nothing happens to any humans who wander too close."

"Aw, man," Yusuke whined. "We actually have to go to that?"

"What's the matter, Urameshi?" Kuwabara taunted. "Afraid to lose to me at a few carnival games?" Yusuke let out a snort, smirking at his rival.

"Nah, I just don't want to take a hundred stuffed animals back to Keiko like last time I swept you," he said, sticking his finger in his ear and flinging some wax off the tip.

"Stuffed animals," Kaori and Ayame said in unison, eyes beginning to glaze. Botan and Yukina giggled while the other two girls smiled, imagining the prizes they hoped to win.

"Remember," Koenma interrupted, standing. "You are to look out for suspicious activity, not to simply have some fun."

"But we're totally going to have fun while we're there," Yusuke said. "I have to kick Kuwabara's butt, and this way he's still able to defend himself in case a demon tries to too."

"Very funny, Urameshi," Kuwabara grumbled. Koenma sighed.

"No, Yusuke. You're going back to the lightning kingdom and keep tabs on the king."

"WHAT?" the boy cried exasperated. Kuwabara barked out a laugh while Yusuke let out a string of curses. With a smirk, Koenma disappeared. He growled, slamming a fist on the table. Everyone sat in silence for a moment, before Masuyo let out a cough.

"Well," she said. "I guess you all should go get ready for your mission." She turned to Genkai and bowing slightly. "I hope you don't mind if I stay back here, Master Genkai."

"Of course not," the old women said, smiling gently at the younger woman. "I'm sure Botan and Yukina will make good company for you while you wait here."

Here Botan began to laugh a bit nervously. "But I planned on going to the fair with the other guys," she said.

"It's definitely safer for you to stay here," Kaori said, standing and getting her dirty dishes together. "You, Yukina, Masuyo and Ayame can stay safe while we go and do patrolling stuff."

"And you get a giant stuffed animal," Ayame grumbled. Kaori flashed her a large smile as the door opened and revealed Hiei.

"Ayame's coming too," he said nonchalantly. Kurama raised an eyebrow and Ayame cheered. Yusuke only pouted more.

"Yes! I'm taking you down!" she said with a grin before she paused. "Wait, why am I going?"

"To make sure you don't slack off," he continued, arms folded.

"You can't risk her life to make sure she's been practicing," Shigure said, glowering at the short demon. He received a glare of his own.

"Then make sure you protect her this time," Hiei said. Neither looked away, glaring full force at each other. Ayame sighed, Yusuke looked confused, and Kaori chuckled lightly as she went into the kitchen.

_Tonight is going to be interesting,_ she mused.

15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

"It's so beautiful!" Kaori breathed, looking out over all of the lights on the tents and multiple temporary structures dotting the landscape. She stood on top of a hill, the river running down on her right side. In front of her, along the bank, were tons of stalls with games, food, prizes, photo booths, and simple lounge areas for the fair goers.

"I love this time of year," Ayame said from her left side. "Never get to go too often before summer, but now that school's out, we get to come and have some fun!"

"After the mission," Kurama said, placing his arms around Kaori's waist.

"Yeah, sure," she said, eyes trying to take in everything.

"So what should we do?" Ayame asked, turning to look behind them. Kuwabara seemed relatively excited, while on either side of him stood a bored Hiei and a nonchalant Shigure. Kaori and Ayame both were wearing short kimonos, one purple with white trim and the other black with a red trim. Kurama dressed casually in a white shirt and pants with a lavender sash, matching Kaori nicely. Kuwabara wore a similar outfit, blue in this case, while Shigure wore all black with a white sash.

Hiei, of course, wore his normal cloak, adamant with the fact that he did not want to 'play dress up' for such a 'stupid human affair' when they were only going to monitor the demon activity.

"We should split up into groups, one covering the northern side and the other to the south," Kurama said. Instantly Kaori and Ayame latched onto his arms, grinning up at him.

"Wait a minute!" Shigure interrupted, pointing at Hiei. "I'm not going to be stuck with him!"

"I'd hate to accidently kill the human," Hiei retorted, looking disdainfully at the other happy humans enjoying the festivities below. It was their fault, after all.

"Um, I'd rather not be stuck between them," Kuwabara said, pleading with his eyes. This hit a soft spot in Kaori who took a step forward.

"Fine, Kuwabara," she said. "Ayame will go with them, and you can dome with me and Kurama."

"What?" Ayame shouted in alarm. Hiei's eyes now narrowed at the kitsune female who was his new cause of loathing.

"Well, Shigure can re-earn Hiei's trust by protecting you, Hiei will know for sure that you're safe, and if anything fun happens, you get to fight and prove to both of them you don't need protecting," Kaori said with a hand on her hips. Neither demon missed the small gleam in her eye.

"You're proud of yourself again," Kurama said with a chuckle. Ayame grumbled, letting go of Kurama's arms and dragging her feet over by Hiei's side. Kuwabara bounced past her happily, high fiving Kurama as he stood next to him.

"So what happens if they kill me with their fighting?" she asked.

"I get to go berserk and kill both of them in a rage," Kaori said, smile never leaving her face. This somehow comforted Ayame, who smiled back.

"Berserk?" Shigure asked.

"Oh it's awesome!" Ayame said. "She basically becomes a human flame with all this power coming out of her that you can see it pulsating around her in a humongous fire . They tried to use her to raise this elemental thing, which would be near impossible if you weren't super epic like Kaori!"

"And this is why those two are friends," Kuwabara muttered. Hiei however, raised an eyebrow.

"You saw her energy?" he asked. Ayame nodded as if it was no big thing. "How?"

"Um, it was huge?"

"You are a human. At most you should feel the heat radiating out."

"Yes!" Kaori cheered, jumping up and down. "Ayame's getting spiritual awareness!" Ayame joined her, bouncing around in excitement.

"I have no idea what this means but it sounds awesome!" Ayame cheered, the two girls falling down and laughing.

"It means I get to train you harder," Hiei said before flitting away.

"WHAT?" Ayame jumped up, turning to the trees on the other side of the river. "Why are you so mean?"

"Congrats, you can feel Hiei," Kurama said with a smile. He pulled Kaori up by the arm. "Let's focus on this mission first, and then worry about your training later."

"Fine," Ayame said, waving to Kaori as she, Kurama, and Kuwabara walked down the other side of the hill. She turned to Shigure, who was still looking to the trees. "Hiei likes working long distance. Come on, let's go see if I can win a stuffed animal."

Shigure raised an eyebrow, then both as Ayame grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to the closest stalls. The first game they came to was pretty stereotypical. Toss a ring onto a bottleneck and win a cat, bunny, or some furry creature that probably doesn't even have a name. By the size of them it was clear that winners were rare. "You can't be serious," he muttered when Ayame paid the man for 5 rings.

The first she tossed was perfect, and the girl screamed, jumping up and down. A cough from the attendant caught her attention and they both turned. The man was tall, relatively thin, and had shoulder length black, silky hair. He smiled, but his eyes were cold as he pointed to the sign. 'Ring three, pick your prize.'

"Oh…" Ayame tossed two more but missed. "Nooo!" Shigure rolled his eyes and took the two rings from her hand. He eyed the bottles for a moment, then tossed both rings onto two bottles sitting next to each other. He smirked at the surprised look on the attendant's face, while Ayame screamed and jumped up and down. She grabbed a large cat off a shelf and continued her jumping.

A part in the crowd behind them revealed Kaori and Kurama, who were scanning the area. "What happened?" Kaori asked, tense and scanning the area.

"What?" both Ayame and Shigure asked, looking at each other confusedly.

"We heard you scream from across the festival," Kurama said, finally turning to look directly at the pair. Shigure's shoulder's drooped while Ayame laughed nervously.

"He won her a prize," Hiei said, appearing behind the two.

"I was excited," Ayame said, rubbing the back of her neck. Then she spun on her heels. "Hey! How did you all get here so fast?"

"We're not pathetic humans," Hiei spat. At this moment, Kuwabara arrived, panting slightly. "Well, thankfully not all of us."

"Hey, why'd you guys take off like that?" Kuwabara asked. "I could hardly keep up with you in this crowd."

"Sorry, false alarm," Kaori said, eying Ayame's cat. "What game did you play?"

"This one!" Ayame said, pointing behind them. "I got the first one, then Shigure won me the kitty!"

"How nice," Kurama said with a genuine smile. He was shocked when Shigure turned away, slight embarrassment on his face. He was more shocked when Hiei clenched his fists and scowled in his direction. Kaori, or course, was eating it all up.

"Maybe we should all stick together," she said, linking her arm with Ayame's. "That way we all stay together and keep an eye on each other."

"Great idea," Kuwabara said, completely oblivious. "Maybe we can grab some snacks? I'm starving."

"Of course you are," Hiei grumbled.

"Don't be a pouter," Ayame chided at Hiei. "How's this, I'll buy you some ice cream so you don't kill any birds that happen to be nesting." Though Hiei slightly perked up at the words 'ice cream,' his scowl returned full force when Ayame finished her sentence.

"I look forward to burning through all the money you have," Hiei muttered. "Quite literally, actually." He then shifted his gaze to Kaori's grin, narrowing his eyes at her.

_At least she's willing to buy you ice cream,_ her voice rang clearly in his mind. _She didn't offer any to Shigure, you know._

_**What makes you think I care?**_ Hiei barked back, following Kurama and Kuwabara, who now led the group towards the food.

_The fact that you're still walking with us._

Kaori giggled when she didn't hear any more from Hiei.


	16. Problem

I'm sorry! It's been almost 8 months since an update and I have no excuse. I have been tweaking and working on this, I just haven't done enough to make it post worthy. I still don't think it's post worthy, but I owe you guys something. There's a bit of...well, just read it. You can totally review and tell me how you don't remember what's going on and how much you hate me -especially for what's in this chapter- and I will take it like a man.

Or... a 22 year old college student... whichever is easier. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 16**

Kaori jumped up and down for joy as Kurama handed her a stuffed husky. She pulled him into a kiss before giggling and hugging her new prize. Kurama smiled, Ayame cheered, Kuwabara clapped, Shigure watched the crowd, and Hiei scowled. These games were getting a little too annoying for him, and he was definitely ready to-

"Can we focus on the mission now?" Shigure asked. All eyes turned to him. "We weren't sent here to just play some games and eat some food. We're supposed to be looking out for suspicious activity and keeping people safe."

Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck, itching around the t-shirt he won that was draped around his shoulders. "He does have a point," he admitted. "We've been having too much of good time."

"But I've been keeping my senses open," Kaori whined, hugging her husky-and a kitten from earlier-closely. "And Hiei hasn't even been having fun! He's been totally focused!"

"Alright, Hiei!" Ayame cheered, patting him on the back. He growled at her, making her chuckle and take a step away.

"I'm sorry we've been shoving an unfair amount of the burden onto your shoulders, Hiei," Kurama said, taking his new hat off. "I'm sure if you require a break, we'd be willing to let you relax."

"Because these childish games are proper entertainment," Hiei scoffed.

"They are!" Ayame protested, a blinking pacifier from a claw machine around her neck. "It's nice to just relax and get rewards for doing something that takes a bit of skill."

"Aw, shorty's the only one who hasn't won anything," Kuwabara noted. "Even Shigure won two prizes for Ayame." Hiei's eyes narrowed, while Kaori grinned.

"I don't want a prize that doesn't bleed when I get it," Hiei said simply. Shigure raised his eyebrow at this, while Kuwabara sighed with frustration.

"There's a shooting range," Kaori said. "I know you're not used to human weapons, but at least you get to pretend to kill something while you wait…to…kill something…" Here she trailed off in thought. She missed the fact that Kuwabara and Ayame were pulling Hiei towards to range until Kurama grabbed her arm and pulled her along with the rest of the group.

"Do you even know how to shoot a gun?" Shigure asked, more annoyed at an additional distraction than entertained, as were the rest of Hiei's watchers. He received a glare from said fire demon, who picked up the rifle and aimed carefully.

"Who's paying?" Asked the attendant, curious about the group who just arrived and were letting the small child hold a gun. Kurama produced the money and the attendant smiled. "Smaller targets are for largest prizes."

"Idiot," Hiei muttered. In the next five seconds, Hiei emptied the clip in the gun, hitting the four smallest targets and shooting the nose off of the one large smiling clown faces. "Stupid clown."

Both girls and Kuwabara cheered for Hiei, the girls jumping up and down while the male patted him on the head. The attendant was shocked, as all the others had been when the prizes were won too easily. "Name your prize."

"The biggest you have," Hiei said, biting his tongue before he said any more to insult the human before him. The man pulled out a large panda bear, which looked to be just about as large as Hiei. All stared in awe as Hiei took the bear, looking disdainfully at the creature. He tossed it over his shoulder to Ayame, who barely managed to catch it. "Can we focus now?"

"Sure," Kurama said. Kaori continued to stare in shock.

"I WANT ONE!" She eventually shouted. Ayame grinned evilly, hugging her new large prize.

"Mine!" she said gleefully. Shigure rolled his eyes while Hiei smirked.

"Shuichi!" Kaori whined. "Hiei won Ayame a HUUUUUMONGOUS prize! All I need is the money to shoot! Please?"

"He didn't win me the prize," Ayame retorted, looking over to Hiei. He scoffed, turning his back to her, which made her raise her eyebrow.

"Hurry and win her to prize so we can move on," Hiei said, walking away towards the river.

"Yeah," Kuwabara said. "The fireworks are about to start!"

"Actually…" All remaining eyes turned to the attendant, who held a white polar bear. "He won two prizes," the man continued. "Here you go miss."

"YAY!" Kaori cheered, getting the polar bear. Ayame grinned as Kaori handed Kurama her other two prizes. She managed to hold on to the animal Shigure got her, as well as her pacifier, with her new giant panda. Both girls switched animals, giggling at the cuteness of the other prizes. "Alright, let's go find Hiei!"

"Why?" Shigure muttered, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

"Oh calm down," Ayame said. Kaori paused mid-step, looking up ahead of the group. Shigure looked up too, as did Kurama and Kuwabara. "What's up?"

"Hiei," Kaori muttered. Everyone looked around before sensing his energy.

"There's…more than one?" Kuwabara asked. "Hey, shorty can't replicate, right?"

"No," Kurama said, narrowing his eyes.

"More fire demons," Shigure growled out.

"Or worse," Kaori said, tightening the grip on the prize in her hand.

"Let's go," Kurama said, picking up the pace and maneuvering through the crowd. He and Kaori led the way, Ayame following the combination of a white and black bear and a red head to keep track of the two of them. Shigure was just off to her side, and behind her she could hear Kuwabara apologizing for bumping into people. For some reason, she only wanted to swap back with Kaori and get back the prize Hiei gave her. Something was definitely wrong.

The group reached the river bank and found Hiei panting heavily with his sword out. "Are you alright?" Ayame asked.

"Keep your distance," another voice said. Another Hiei appeared, holding his sword drawn, but without his cape.

"Crap," Kuwabara mumbled. "So how do we know which one's which?"

"Simple," said a third Hiei, walking out from the trees. He, too, had a drawn sword and no cape.

"Wait til the fight is over," the first Hiei said.

"I'll kill the impersonators," all three said in unison, before disappearing with the clang of swords colliding.

"Good thing it's nighttime," Kuwabara said.

"And they are fast," Kurama said, eyes still narrowed.

"There!" Shigure pointed towards the trees across the bank. The Hiei still in the cape was pinned against the trees, two swords sticking out of his chest. He blinked before releasing his own and falling limp. As his spirit left him, his features morphed into another creature, a taller blond haired figure with dark skin and blue eyes. A horn replaced his false Jagan and his nails turned a deep red. Both remaining Hiei's appeared side by side, each grabbing their sword and kicking at each other before disappearing again at their high speed.

"We have to get rid of that body," Kuwabara said. In a moment, the roots of the tree sprang up and pulled it beneath the soil.

"Done," Kurama said without even pulling his eyes from the fight. Both Hiei's reappeared on their side of the river again, just up from the bank. They looked exhausted and had matching wounds along their stomach.

"Well, looks like the copy did their homework," Shigure said.

"They sure did a lot better than the guy Konajiru hired to kidnap Kaori the first time," Kuwabara said, slightly disappointed that it would not be so easy.

"Can you feel a difference?" Ayame asked.

"No, but I know how to find one," Kaori said. "Sorry Hiei!"

Both looked to her confused before the grass caught their ankles, legs, and quite quickly their wrists and torsos. They growled, but neither struggled against their binds, trying not to look guilty. She walked down to the bank, standing between the two and looking back and forth. Each had a Jagan, a tattoo on their right arm, and even the same type of bandage around their fingers. Their expressions even matched perfectly, both glaring at her in annoyance. "This is a pretty good imitation," she said. The others joined her, Ayame staying just a step back as a precaution.

"We can ask him only something the right one would know," Shigure suggested. Kurama shook his head.

"If he's like the mimic we've met previously, he'll also have Hiei's behaviors and memories up until a short while ago. That's why we can't tell the difference now," he explained.

"The most obvious would be to make them both try to summon their dragon," Kuwabara suggested.

"Because you really want me to kill these humans and get sent back to prison," the right Hiei said. "Oaf."

"That sounds like an excuse," the left Hiei smirked.

"That sounds like a challenge," the right Hiei replied, smirking himself.

"This sounds like a headache," Kuwabara moaned. Shigure stepped up and looked between the two. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"One's a mimic, right?" Shigure said, charging his energy. "If he gets weak enough, his real form will show."

"Or you'll kill them both," Ayame protested.

"Trust me," Shigure said to her.

"Joy," both Hiei's said in unison before glaring at each other again. Shigure took a deep breath while Kurama and Kaori took a few steps back. Shigure forced energy out of himself, hitting both Hiei's at the same time. Both cringed, and it was obvious both were in a significant amount of pain. Kaori herself let out a small wince, losing control of the plants, releasing both Hieis at the same time. This went on for a good five minutes before the Hiei on the left stumbled, falling to his knees. His teeth were grinding together, but he would not speak.

"Weakling," the one on the right growled, struggling to raise its sword while its energy was continuing to be pulled.

"We have a winner," Kuwabara said. "Nice job, Shigure."

"Fool," the standing Hiei growled. As he slashed down, the other Hiei swiftly dodged and stabbed him in the stomach. Everyone froze as Shigure pulled back his energy. The Hiei on the right stumbled back, gasping and holding his wound as deep blue blood eased out. His hair fell limp and turned brown, revealing the true form of the demon before them.

"No one calls him a fool but me," Hiei growled. He pulled his sword out, pointing it to its neck, looking to Kurama. "Do I get to kill him?"

"I'm sure Koenma would love to find out what's going on here in the Human World," Kurama said, eyeing the fraud. "Most important would be name and why you're impersonating one of us."

"Testing you," he muttered.

"Name?" Kaori asked, her arms crossed.

"Hiro."

"Hiro, Hiei, I see the similarity," Kuwabara muttered.

"And I see the stupidity," Hiro growled out, falling on his rear.

"Should have let you take my place," Hiei smirked, sheathing his sword and walking away. Kuwabara pulled out his compact and called Koenma. Within minutes, the SDF were escorting the impersonator back to Spirit World and Hiei had on his cape once again.

"Very good work, Hiei," Kurama said, looking his short friend over. "Would you like to return to Genkai's? I'm sure Botan or Yukina would be happy to heal you up."

"I'm fine," Hiei said, looking over to the fireworks which just erupted over the river. Cheers from the crowd meant all were focused on the spectacle, and no one witnessed the small battle that had just occurred.

"Nothing like saving the world and leaving everyone else in the shadows, right guys?" Kuwabara said, placing his hands on his hips.

"We should get back to that," Shigure said, crossing his arms.

"And we should get back to the castle," Kaori said. She turned to Ayame, who willingly swapped stuffed animals back.

"We'll go back first thing in the morning," Kurama said with a nod. "I'm sure Koenma will be pleased to have us back there as soon as possible."

"And what should I do?" Shigure asked, becoming very impatient.

"When Koenma gets info from Hiro, I'm sure they'll be a lot to look into on this side," Kaori said reassuringly. "Until then, make sure Ayame keeps practicing and doesn't get killed by some rouge imitator Hiei."

"Thanks," Hiei growled.

"Well, you have been the one to be imitated twice now," Kurama said. "I'm sure saying 'hot' would have alerted us to your veracity much sooner."

Hiei glared at the kitsune while Kuwabara snickered, leaving everyone else in the dark.

"Come on," Ayame said, walking to Hiei's side. "Let's enjoy ourselves for one more night before we all go back to working and training. Deal?"

Hiei caught Shigure's glare at him and smirked before turning back to Ayame. "Deal." Somewhere behind him, Kaori cheered and Kurama smiled.

16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

Kurama woke up early the next morning with a yawn, pulling the body beside him closer. He nuzzled into the dark colored hair, smelling the distinct scent of embers and roses that he knew belonged to his Kaori. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the profile of the girl of his dreams just to his left. She was breathing deeply, half on her back and half turned away from him, with her lips slightly parted.

The two had returned to Kurama's home to grab some more supplies and plants he hoped to use on the king. Kaori herself wanted to retrieve some better fitting attire for when they were outside of the lightning kingdom. From there, they would walk into the portal Koenma would form in the alley down the street, depositing them where Pu would be waiting.

But for now, Kurama was enjoying the silence with Kaori. Kurama nuzzled into her neck, kissing her collarbone and he held her tight. Kaori purred, ears twitching atop her head. Kurama smiled, feeling a tail wrapping around his leg. He tightened his grip on Kaori's waist, nipping her neck while he caught one of tails in his free hand. Another purr escaped her lips as Kurama continued his gentle affections. His hand slid up her tail and down to her rear end, then down to her leg, pausing when Kaori let out a small sigh in her sleep.

Kurama couldn't stop himself from smirking as he watched Kaori. His hand slid back up her thigh once more before her eyes snapped open and she grabbed his hand, stiff as a board. "Kaori," Kurama said, catching her attention.

"Oh, Kurama," Kaori said, closing her eyes and letting out a breath. "Don't scare me like that."

"What?" Kurama asked, sliding his arm back up to her waist, much to Yoko's mental protest.

"I just…I dunno, I forgot you were here, that it wasn't someone just trying to get a feel," Kaori said. She then opened one eye and looked over at Kurama. He smiled brilliantly and her eyes narrowed. "_You_ were just trying to get a feel."

"I was ensuring that you were having a pleasant rest," Kurama said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know," Kaori said, curling into Kurama's embrace. "I'm just…I dunno."

"If you'd simply rather be awake…" Kurama purred, kissing Kaori's neck again and drawing a circle on her leg.

"Hey there." Kaori pulled Kurama's hand away. "How about we finish this mission first, ok?"

"Why?" Kaori laughed at the whine, pulling the redhead face back up and meeting golden eyes, which did not surprise her. "Everyone else is at Genkai's, we have this time to ourselves, can't we just have one moment?"

"One moment of what?" Kaori asked, twirling a lock of the still red hair.

"One moment of me showing you how much both sides of me love you," Youko whispered. Kaori blushed, encouraging Youko to smirk. "Oh Kaori, how can I love you? Let me count the ways…"

"That's enough," Kaori interrupted with a laugh and rolled out of bed, much to her companion's chagrin. "Let's get ready to go back to the lightning kingdom, ok?"

"Very well," Kurama said, eyes returning to their natural shade. He still wore the disappointment on his face however. While Kaori went to the bathroom, he quickly changed and headed out to the hall. The sound of a car in the driveway made him freeze however, ears attentive to the sounds of three people exiting the vehicle.

"No, no, no," Kurama muttered, running down the stairs and to the living room.

"What's up?" Kaori asked, coming into the hall and following him down. At that moment, the front door opened, revealing Shiori. Kaori froze, energy dropping drastically and hiding her ears and tails, unsure of whom the woman was who smiled broadly at Kurama before pulling him into a hug.

"Hello, Shuichi dear!" she said, oblivious to the stiffness of the young man in front of her.

"M-mother," he replied, reciprocating the embrace. "You're back early."

"Yes, your brother wanted to be home for the holidays instead of coming back afterwards," she answered, pulling away and patting some loose strands of her son's hair. She was about to scold him for needing to comb it more, when she noticed Kaori, frozen on the bottom step. "Oh…"

"Mother, this is Kaori," Kurama said, waving for the girl to come down. Kaori walked forward slowly, bowing with respect.

"Hello, Mrs. Minamino," she said softly, though slightly behind Kurama.

"Hello, Kaori," Shiori said with a smile. Just then, the younger Shuichi walked in the door, pausing when he saw the guest.

"Dude, you had a girl over?" he asked, eyeing Kaori, who wore a t-shirt, jean skirt, and looked very at home. "When did you get a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" The last to enter, Kazuya Hatanaka, asked, setting down the first two of a large number of luggage he had to bring inside. His eyes landed on Kaori, who bowed immediately. "Shuichi, how long have you been hiding her from us?"

"I'm curious too," Shiori said, smile never leaving her face. Kurama blushed, mind working a mile a minute to try and explain the situation to his family and still make it to the portal. Introductions would be best, of course, if only to keep Kaori from slowly inching behind him. He turned, pulling her in front of him and resting his hands on his shoulders.

"This is Kaori Ikeda," he began. "Kaori, my mother, my step father Kazuya Hatanaka, and my step brother Shuichi. She-"

"You have the same name!" Kaori said, pointing at the younger. She then paused and dropped her arm and her gaze again, silently chiding herself for her outburst. "Sorry. I just thought it was interesting. Sorry. I'm really sorry."

"Yes, it is interesting," Kazuya said, folding his arms. "We usually expect my son to be the one sneaking girls over when we're not looking though."

"That was once and it was to study," Shuichi whined. "Besides, Kaori's been spending the night." Kazuya and Shiori's eyes both moved to the overnight bag Kaori had packed at the base of the stairs. Shiori looked to her son and put her hands on her hips.

"I hope you can explain yourself, young man," she said sternly. Even Kurama was taken aback, since his mother never had to scold him.

"Of course, mother," he said. "I had assumed you would be gone longer, and I wanted to find the proper way to explain the situation to you."

"Are you two banging?" Shuichi asked, eyebrow raised.

"Bang…ing?" Kaori asked, looking up slightly confused.

"No!" Kurama said, putting his hands up in front of himself. "No, we aren't, I swear."

"What's banging?" Kaori asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

"You know, the horizontal tango," Shuichi said. "Hooking up, doing the hanky-panky, shacking up?" Here Kaori's eyes went wide and she blushed, finally realizing where he was going with his line of questioning.

"Where did you learn all of those?" Shiori asked, slightly embarrassed by what he was saying. Shuichi himself chuckled, rubbing his neck and looking anywhere but at his step mother.

"I think it was a good question," Kazuya said, eyes still on the couple in front of them. "And how long have you been staying here?"

"Um…a couple months?" Kaori guessed tentatively. Everyone's eyes went wide before locking on Kurama.

"No, we're not, and yes, she has her own room," he all but growled out. "It's a really long story, and I want to explain it to you, but we really need to go-"

"Right over to that couch and explain yourself," Kazuya said. "I don't know when you got the idea to bring a girl in to live with you, but trying to hide her from us is unacceptable!"

"Why couldn't you tell us when you started seeing her?" Shiori asked.

"It didn't start out that way, I promise," Kurama said. He gave an exasperated sigh, running his fingers through his hair and wishing he could just use his rose whip to get out of this one. A Pollen to erase their memories would be sufficient, until he had to explain himself later. No, now was as good a time as ever, it seemed. "The thing is, Kaori just got to this city at the beginning of the semester. She was alone with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She was originally staying with a friend of ours, but things got messy and I thought it'd be ok if she stayed here."

Here he turned to his mother, genuinely saddened by the skepticism she was showing. "Honestly, mother, I was going to tell you about her, but we've been really busy and you were having such a good time and I didn't want to be a downer to your vacation. We're going away for a few days to check on some things, and I was going to call you the day I got back and fill you in." Shiori's eyes softened and she smiled at her son. Kazuya unfortunately did not feel completely relieved.

"Instead of housing a runaway stranger, you should have been in contact with her family," he said. Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but Kazuya didn't give him the chance. "They must be worried sick about their daughter running off to some city alone to do God knows what! I hope she wasn't staying with that Yusuke character, who knows what trouble he'd get her into. If I was her father I'd come down here and take her back home where she belongs. She needs to be with her parents, not living in our house. Did it ever cross your mind how stupid it is to run off without anyone to help?"

There was a moment of silence while Kaori stared at the ground. She turned and grabbed her bag, hoisting it on her shoulder with little effort. She looked up to Kurama, forcing a smile. "I'll just wait for you outside," she said. "I'll let them know we're running a bit late. This is more important." With that she turned, and bowing to the two adults, slid out the door and shut it behind her.

Kazuya turned back from watching her go and watched as his stepson seemed to deflate, eyes on the door. "Her parents got killed," Kurama mumbled. They heard Shiori gasp, covering her mouth, and it was her husband's turn to deflate. "She came here because some people were looking for her and she was trying to get away from them. Kaori was living alone for a while and that's why I let her stay here. We got her signed up for school and she even got into Meiou with me. That's when we became closer, and no, Shuichi, we're definitely not doing it."

The younger brother, closed his mouth, his most recent question answered. "I'm sorry," Kazuya managed out. "We –I just assumed-"

"Understandable," Kurama said, meeting the older man's gaze with a slight smile. "However, we truly are in a big hurry." He turned and scooped up his bag, kissed his mother on the cheek and headed out the door, ruffling Shuichi's hair on the way. "I'll be back in a few days. I cannot wait to hear about Europe."

"So long dear," Shiori called as he shut the door behind him. Kurama let out a sigh, walking down the front steps and looked for Kaori. He was not only relieved that he didn't have to deviate much from the truth, but also that he could see Kaori just a block or so down the street, walking towards the portal.

He ran down after her, slowing his pace as he caught up and came along side of her. "I'm sorry about that," he said. "I didn't expect for you to have to meet them so soon. I assumed we'd have a better story by then. That behavior was completely inexcusable."

"It's fine," Kaori said, looking up to him with a more genuine smile. "I should have expected that reaction."

"It should not have been forced on you or my mother that way," Kurama sighed, closing his eyes. "And Shuichi is a bit much himself. My step brother is too forward sometimes."

"Don't worry about it," Kaori said, turning down the alley to where they could already see the glow of the portal. "You know, I can't wait to see everyone's face when we finally say yes."

"Yes?" Kurama asked, pausing outside the portal.

"Humans are so infatuated with 'doing it.' I wonder what happens when you say, 'Yes, we did it.'" Kurama blinked, looking at Kaori. She smiled at him before walking backwards through the portal. Kurama took a moment before he smiled, stepping through the portal leading back to the Demon World. He emerged already transformed, silver hair flowing and golden eyes with a bit of mischievousness in them. They landed on Kaori, who had also transformed back into her natural state, ears attentive for any misplaced sounds.

"Is that you're way of giving me permission?" Yoko asked, observing his surroundings with one glance before looking back to Kaori.

"Nope," she said, "just curious." Yoko's shoulders sank and Kaori tilted her head at him. "Don't tell me you're as obsessed about it too…"

"Of course not," Yoko replied, picking up her bag and his while heading towards where he could feel Yusuke and Pu waiting. "You just manage to get my hopes up then dash them to the ground innocently quite often." Kaori jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders.

"Ah, don't worry. We'll do it eventually," she said, rubbing a finger over one of his ears. Yoko almost stumbled at the touch, righting himself quickly when Kaori giggled.

"You do that on purpose." Another stroke and he had to pause midstep.

"I like seeing you happy."

"I like being able to walk sensibly."

"Fine." Kaori huffed, ignoring Yoko's ear until they got to the clearing. Yusuke looked up and smiled.

"Nice to see I have some help again," he said. "Good to have you back, Yoko."

"Thank you, detective," Yoko said, bowing his head. Kaori released him in favor of hugging Pu, who seemed just as happy to see her as she was to see him. Yusuke muttered something under his breath before hopping onto the back of his Spirit Beast. Yoko handed him the two bags and climbed on as well, pulling Kaori up onto the back as Pu flapped his wings and took off, straight up to the lightning kingdom.

Kurogane was the first to greet them in his kitsune form, just inside the main gate, as Pu touched down easily. Yusuke and Yoko jumped off first, while Kaori gave the beast one last hug before sliding down to the solid cloud under their feet.

"Glad to see the two of you are ok," Kurogane said, bowing to the two kitsunes. He turned to Yoko, asking, "The human half of you has recovered as well, correct?"

"Yes, thank you," Yoko said with a slight bow of his own. "It's good to see you well also."

"I'm sure you missed us," Kaori smiled, getting her bag off Pu and gave Yoko his own.

"Of course," Kurogane said, smiling warmly at her. He took her bag from her before she could swing it up on her shoulder. "Hitashi and Hitomi will be glad to see you as well. Come this way." He led the trio into the castle, climbing the stairs to the hall lined with their bedrooms.

"Is Hitomi up and walking around?" Kaori asked from beside him.

"Oh yeah, she's been doing pretty good," Yusuke said, resting his arms behind his head. "Hitashi and the Queen won't let her out of her room though. She's been asking about when you guys were coming back. I guess my company wasn't good enough."

"Don't take it personally, Yusuke," Kurogane said. "Hitomi is a very finicky character. She does like you, you're just not a kitsune."

"We're irresistible," Kaori grinned back at him. Kurogane smiled down at her once more, this time catching Yoko's eye. Something was different about Kurogane's behavior, something a bit familiar, and Yoko didn't like it. He held his tongue however, as they got to the end, turning the corner to where the royal siblings stayed. Kurogane paused outside of one door, knocking gently on the door.

"Who is it?" came the bored voice of Hitomi.

"Kuro," was the reply. There was a moment of shuffling before Hitomi called back.

"Come in," she yelled. Kurogane opened the door, finding his sister sitting upright in bed, dressed in a simply gown for lounging with a few books around her. She looked to be completely back to normal, though her hair lay undone around her face. She brightened up when she saw the company that her brother brought file into the room. "Oh welcome back! When did you return?"

"Just now," Kaori smiled. "Glad to see you're ok."

"Forget about me!" Hitomi said, sliding out of bed. She walked up to Kaori, giving her a big hug before turning to Yoko. "Are you alright? I heard you got attacked by that same person who sealed Kuro!"

"Yes, but I'm fine," Yoko said, bowing slightly. Hitomi quickly pulled him into a hug, leaning back and smiling brilliantly at him.

"I'm so glad to hear that," she said. "I'd never wish that horror onto anyone!" Here she turned to Kurogane. "We should celebrate their return. Maybe a large dinner?"

"Unless you plan on hosting it in here, it's not happening," Kurogane said sternly.

"Kurooo!" she whined, releasing Yoko in favor of pleading before her brother. "I've been fine for days! Since before Yoko even! And he's been allowed to return back here to help father and you! Why can't I even go downstairs in our own castle?"

"Because you're my sister, and the person who poisoned you was in this castle," Kurogane replied.

"But they've had plenty of time to try and poison me again and they didn't!" she pleaded. "I bet I wasn't even the target!"

"Yeah, she wasn't," Kaori mused out loud. Hitomi smiled at her while Kurogane only narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt overprotective brother mode. Please continue."

Kurogane sighed, ears dropping. "Fine. We'll have a feast," he sighed defeated. Hitmoi jumped, cheering with delight. She hugged her brightly before grabbing Yoko's arm.

"You're the guest of honor, after surviving such a horrid ordeal!" she shouted.

"Aw," Yusuke whined. Hitomi smiled kindly at the detective.

"Of course you get choice cuts, oh brave detective, for your help in this whole investigation," she purred, making Yusuke grin. "Come, you two get to choose the main courses!" She pulled Yoko out of the room, Yusuke following quickly behind her as they headed down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Have fun!" Kaori called after them. Kurogane chuckled, looking at Kaori's now confused face. "And what is so funny, Lord Kurogane?"

"You are," he said, turning and strolling out of the room, his tail swishing gently behind him.

"What does that mean?" Kaori asked, following quickly.

"You're always in just a lovely mood," he said, pausing at the fork in the hall and waiting for her to catch up. "It's quite endearing."

"But not funny," Kaori said, catching up to and standing in front of him. In an instant, her back was against the wall and Kurogane's face was an inch from hers.

"But it is quite refreshing," he whispered. Kaori's breath hitched in her throat. She stood frozen, transfixed by his gaze. "Oh, how I've missed you."

"Yoko," she managed to get out. A low chuckle met her ears as Kurogane looked down to her mouth.

"My sister's taken an interest in him," he muttered, eyes looked on her lips, top teeth lightly biting into the bottom lip. "He'll be distracted for a while-has been for a while. I'm surprised you didn't notice their fondness for each other."

Kaori could not believe it. Well, she could… Hitomi was so happy to see him, but Yoko doesn't usually show attention to anyone, and would never go behind her back. _'I'd love to see him when he's dishonorable'_ rang through her mind. Hitomi wouldn't go after her Yoko, would she? She was so distracted by the running thoughts, she almost didn't feel Kurogane getting closer until his lips were practically touching hers.

Almost.

A blade pressed against the prince's neck and his eyes lifted to meet Kaori's glare. "Don't," was all she said. He almost melted at feeling her breath on his face. With a sigh he pulled back, looking her over as the blade of grass retracted into her closed fist. The other hand came up and connected to his face with a resounding _slap_. Kaori turned to walk away but a hand on her wrist stopped her.

"I will court you." It wasn't a question. "I promise not to over step my bounds. However, I do want you to stay here with me."

Kaori pulled free and walked down the hall towards her own room. "I'll send someone to fetch you for dinner," Kurogane called. All he received in response was the sound of an open and closing door.


	17. The Best Laid Plans

Hey all.

I am offically a college graduate! Well, kind of officially... Still waiting on my degree to come in the mail, but I'm done with classes and I walked and have a cap and gown and a hood! WOOOT!

No real excuse for not updating sooner, other than I've been with my boyfriend... basically almost every day since graduation. Did hang out with a bunch of my friends, both graduates and those who are still underclassmen, did some home improvement stuff with my mom, but it's been a lot of Borderlands... a lot of Borderlands... Holy crap, my summer has been absorbed by a 360. That game is awesome though.

Anywho, I'm already going to start working on the next chapter, so hopefully it won't be six months before the next update. Have a lovely summer, or winter if you're in the summer hemisphere. That must be so awesome right now, not having constant heatwaves...

Read and review loves! ^_^

**Chapter 17**

Kaori was sitting in the middle of her bed when Yoko came to get her for dinner. He was slightly confused by the fact that she was startled when he opened the door, her tails wrapped tightly around her legs, arms clasped around her knees.

"You're back sooner than I expected," she said. Yoko shut the door behind him, leaning against it with his arms crossed.

"Not soon enough, it seems," he said lightly, looking her over. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said, looking down at her tails. "Just talked to Kurogane some." They relaxed, drooping onto the mattress of the bed and fanning out in front of her.

"About what?" Kaori shrugged, flicking a piece of lint off the bed. Yoko walked over and sat by her side. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder but froze. Kaori instantly tensed when he leaned over to the side of her face.

Yoko sniffed her once, then once more, before narrowing his eyes. "What did he do?" he growled.

"Nothing," Kaori said, keeping her eyes down. "I didn't let him do anything, and I left before he could try again."

"He _tried_?" Kaori looked up at him quizzically before her eyebrows rose in understanding.

"Definitely not that!" she said, putting her hands up in her defense. "He was nowhere NEAR doing that! I swear! He just got close and was asking questions."

"Why do you always defend him?" Yoko asked, standing and walking over to the window. What he wouldn't give to chuck the mission out the window and skin the lightning demon alive.

"Why do you always jump to conclusions?" Kaori retorted, pulling her tails tight again. "I try not to make irrational judgments-"

"Irrational?" Yoko spun on her. "At Konajiru's word, you tried to kill me. With a smile and an apology you open up to Kurogane and let him get as close to you as he wants. How am _I_ being irrational when my mate smells like another-"

"_Mate?" _Kaori nearly screeched. "Since when have we jumped to something that serious? Is that why you get worried that Kurogane cares about me while you let his sister flirt with you like you're starting a harem?" Yoko paused, but Kaori didn't relent. She stood on the bed, glaring at him.

"I love you, Yoko, Kurama, and Shuichi Minamino! I love you with all that I have! But I am NOT going to sit in a box, shunned from all male contact, because you're feeling insecure. How DARE you think I wanted his advances! How DARE you think I'm some stupid bimbo just looking for attention from any fox who'll give it to me! How DARE YOU THINK I would EVER do that to US! You're the only thing I have in this life! Why would you think I'd just throw you away? For some stupid kingdom in the clouds? Am I that naïve to you?" By now tears were streaming down her face. Her knees buckled and she fell to her rear, eyes still glued to the immobile fox in front of her.

"I'm not your mate. I could never be your mate. You'd die trying to protect me from everything threat imaginable without even giving me a chance." Yoko walked back to the bed, sitting on the edge and avoiding her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It's just…his scent- this place-"

"You feel threatened 'cause he's a demon," Kaori said, wiping off her face. "I get that, I really do. But trust me, please. I hate being afraid to talk to you."

"Why were you afraid of me?" he asked, turning to look at her. "I would never do anything to hurt you."

"You're scary when you're mad," Kaori whined. "I knew you'd smell him and I knew you'd get mad. I knew you'd jump to conclusions and not trust the only asset we have here. I knew you wouldn't give me the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm not mad. I'm afraid," Yoko corrected, dropping his gaze between the two and sitting back against the headboard. "I'm afraid that you'll find a better mate, who could protect you and love you more than I could. Kurogane's already falling in love with you."

"I don't care," Kaori said, flicking Yoko on the cheek.

"And you're right," Yoko added. "I am not your mate. He has every right to court you and challenge any claim I try to make. He's strong enough to defeat me, and we're in his kingdom. He could lock me away and take you away with no one caring about some land demon."

"You know I'd kill everyone here to get you back." Kaori replied softly.

Yoko sat in silence, staring ahead at the door. "Hitomi means nothing to me," he said slowly. "I trust you to not let Kurogane overstep his boundaries." Here he looked at Kaori, brushing a strand of hair off her face. Softly, he added, "I… I want you to be my mate."

Kaori sat silently, looking at the hand that remained on her cheek. "I'm scared," she whispered.

"Why?"

"They'll kill you as soon as they find out. They'll send me on a rampage to kill everything, and I will. They'll torture you and the slut will probably sleep with you just to spite me. I can't let you do that to yourself. Not until this is over."

"And then you'll mate me?"

Silence.

Yoko pulled Kaori into a hug, leaning back against the headboard so she could stretch out beside him. Neither said a word for a while, neither moving from their comfortable positions. Eventually, Kaori sat up, getting off the bed and pulling Yoko to his feet."'I need to shower before dinner," she said.

"You never answered my question," Yoko said, eyebrow raised as he was pushed towards the door.

"Do I need to?" Kaori smiled. She pulled him into a quick kiss before opening the door and shoving him out. Yoko grinned at her, pulling the door shut and pausing a moment. Then he turned to his room, walking casually while he thought about what Kaori said, and what she didn't say. He stopped outside of his door for a moment, before turning and continuing down the hallway.

Inside her room, Kaori rested her head on the door, tears streaming down her face. "Why do I feel so horrible?" she whispered to herself. "Why do I feel like neither of us will make it out of here alive?"

17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17

Kurogane looked up from his desk at the knock on the door. It was open already, and he saw Yoko leaning against the door frame. "Come in," Kurogane said, gesturing to the chair that sat across from him. His room was larger than the guest suites. The main room was indeed a type of study, with a desk and two chairs opposite. Off to the right was the actual bedroom, with another door leading to the bathroom.

Yoko mused who would come to the prince's study for business as he sat in the seat. He looked at said prince, who was scribbling something into a notebook while reading from some documents. "You all will be joining us for dinner tonight?" Kurogane asked, hardly looking up.

"Of course," Yoko replied. "Tomorrow we'll probably head back to that compound we looked into."

"Ah yes, in Yomi's lands," Kurogane said. He opened a drawer and pulled out a file, handing it to Yoko before continuing to copy information. "While you were gone, we sent a few demons by to scout the place. Security is very tight, but they did not seem concerned by the activity in the area."

"Why would they be?" Yoko said, looking over the layout, partial guard schedules, and key entrances and exits. "They feel we're not a threat to them at the moment. Any running around looks like child's play next to their grand plans."

"So what do you expect to gain from going?" Kurogane asked, finally looking squarely at the demon in front of him.

"I want to find a way in and see what they want," Yoko said, holding his gaze. "We need to know their full motive before knowing how to continue. The means are just as important as the ends." Here Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Do you need to know every detail in their plan so badly as to risk your team?" he asked.

"I wasn't going to take 'my team' inside with me," Yoko replied, setting the file back on the desk. "It's clear that Kaori is their main target. I'm not going to walk her inside and hand her to them."

"But you'll give them yourself."

"I had no idea you'd still be concerned for my safety. I figured you'd want me out of the way to have Kaori all to yourself." Kurogane narrowed his eyes at Yoko, who smirked, leaning back in his chair. "I can assure you, I can get in and out just fine. I'm just curious as to what would happen to her if I left her here with you, is all."

Kurogane mimicked the fox's actions across from him, setting down his pen in favor of crossing his arms with a matching smirk. "Are you really that concerned that I'd act out of line?" Yoko shrugged, prompting him to continue. "You do know that I hold you in high regard, and I respect you for all that you are doing for my father, my kingdom, and even me."

"But you have yet to take your eyes off of Kaori," Yoko interjected.

"I have yet to find a reason to think any less of her, yes," Kurogane admitted. "Relax, I will wait until you're dead or your relationship dissolves on its own accord before I take any actions towards her."

"Good," Yoko said as he stood. "I'm leaving tonight after dinner. Keep this mission between us until I'm already in Yomi's lands."

"Very well," Kurogane stood as well, shaking Yoko's hand firmly. They both froze for a moment, eyes locked before Yoko pulled away. "Something the matter?"

"Don't you dare let them have her," Yoko said, turning and walking out of the room. "And she better not smell like you when I get back." He heard a chuckle as he shut the door behind him, but didn't hesitate as he continued down the hall towards his own room. As he turned the corner he saw Kaori open her door and step out. He smiled softly upon seeing her, dressed in a blue satin gown that just reached the floor.

"Where were you?" Kaori asked.

"Clearing my head," Yoko said, taking Kaori's arm. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't hurt anyone, I promise."

"Good," Kaori said, giving him a soft smile before looking ahead and making sure she didn't trip on her dress.

"I meant what I said. I want to mate you."

"I want to make it through all of this first," Kaori said, not meeting his eyes. "It's not that I don't love you enough, or that I need you to do anything more. I just don't want to worry about this until after we're through all of this."

"Are you worried I won't want you once there isn't a demonic threat?" Yoko asked. Kaori winced and realization hit him. "Kaori-"

"Trauma brings people together. I don't want to a prize that you claim and then just be a side piece. Your family already reacted so well to me living with you, and they're right. We're too young to be thinking about the rest of our lives."

"You are ten times as old as they are, and I'm ten times as old as you," Yoko said. "I think I know what I want."

"Which is different than want you wanted twenty years ago, isn't it?"

Silence.

"Yoko, you can't tell me that you haven't changed a lot since taking on a human body. People change and what they want changes with them. When this is all said and done, then we'll see what we'll do then." Kaori finally looked up at him, determination clouding the sadness he could see in her eyes. "First things first; you're not allowed to die on me."

Yoko couldn't help but smile. "Deal." Kaori pulled him down into a kiss, and he complied, allowing her to hold him to her as long as she wanted. Her kiss was soft and tender, and he was surprised when she gently bit his lip, running her tongue along it as if she wanted more. Yoko growled slightly at the attention and pushed her back against the wall while his tongue slid gently into her mouth. Kaori let out a small moan, sliding a hand up into the hair at the nape of his neck. However, Yoko didn't push her to see how far she was willing to go. Instead, he continued to let her set the pace hands resting comfortably on his hips.

When she pulled back for air, Yoko complied, kissing her gently on the nose. "I love you," Yoko said. "I promise you will always be taken care of."

"I love you too," Kaori said, smiling completely for the first time in what seemed like hours. "You ready for dinner?"

"After an appetizer like that, I kind of want to skip right to desert," Yoko purred. Kaori giggled, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Fine. We'll go get _food_ first, then dessert. "

"Ok." Kaori took her kitsune's arm and let him lead her along the long castle halls to the dining hall. Yusuke was already sitting at the table, head down and stomach grumbling in hunger. He looked up excitedly when he heard someone enter, and sighed with relief when it was only the two kitsunes from home.

"I need you to save me," Yusuke begged.

"From?" Kaori asked, sitting on the opposite side of the table. The man to Yusuke's right chuckled, catching their attention.

"Apparently I ask too many questions," he said. By his uniform and insignia, it was obvious that he was a general, but different than the ones they had seen before.

"Yeah, they're all over my head," Yusuke said. "I'm way too hungry to play diplomat. Guys, this is General Yahiko. These are Kaori and Kurama, the two friends I told you about."

"Pleasure to meet you," Kaori said, while Yoko bowed his head in respect. "How could we be of assistance?"

"Yusuke and I were discussing military strategy," he said politely. "I asked your friend here how we should proceed, if things took a turn for the worst. He prefers small strategic battles instead of a large scale offensive."

"No," Yusuke said. "I prefer going in myself and fighting than sending others in for me."

"But that's very unwise, young man," the general interrupted. "To endanger yourself alone is already poor planning, but it is impossible for you to prepare for any changes in the enemy's tactics. While they have you in one location, another position is falling because you cannot redirect forces."

"Why would I be leading forces?" Yusuke said. "Who needs an army to settle something? Yoko, please enlighten us."

"You two are clearly coming from two different histories and perspectives to this problem," Yoko said calmly. "When one is sure of their strength and on the offensive, there is no need for other forces. One insurgent unit is sufficient to reach a target. The same is true when there is only one point to defend. However, as General Yahiko points out, one cannot fight alone and cover more than one area. You need allies, or other troops, whichever the case may be, in order to ensure the protection of all points."

"How often can you trust one insurgent group to carry out a task flawlessly?" the general said. "It's completely outrageous to put so much faith in one demon or man or even one group."

"It depends entirely on the group," Yoko replied. "It's actually more tactful than you'd imagine, simply because, here in the Makai, no one expects it. It's quite common in the Ningenkai, and even in Reikai's plans. Demons rely more on brute force to turn tides, while sometimes all you need is one precise – and that is the key word, precise – strike to incapacitate the opponent, no matter how large."

"Those ways seem cheap and a tad cowardice," the general muttered to himself. "To not face an enemy in plain sight sounds like the plan of a thief or petty assassin." He missed the glint shine in Yoko's eye, small smirk fading before he even looked back up to his face. At this moment, the royal family entered and began to sit around the table. Only then did Kaori realize that Yoko sat on her left, while her right seat was vacant. Her breath hitched in her throat as Kurogane sat beside her, completely calm and at ease, as if nothing had transpired before.

He gave her a soft smile and Yoko a nod, and she was rather surprised when he returned the gesture. "Let us begin," the queen announced, and the servers began to dish out the food. Kaori tried to relax, but she felt as if she was definitely missing something rather important.

"What would you do if you were in charge, Yahiko?" Yusuke asked, taking a bite out of a rather large piece of meat that resembled turkey. He wouldn't think any further into what bird he was actually eating, and just contented himself that it was, in fact, delicious.

"Well, sending a few more scouts is definitely in order," the general said, taking a swig of wine. "However, the time for sitting quietly is over. We should not allow them to continue to gain momentum."

"I assure you, General Yahiko, things will not remain at a standstill for much longer," Hitashi said. "As a matter of fact, I was just going to ask if Yoko would accompany me on one last reconnaissance mission by the end of the week before we move in to take the fortress." Kurogane froze mid-bite, while Yoko merely sipped his wine.

"Why you and Yoko?" Hitomi asked. "We have plenty of spies that could go out there and get the Intel. You two don't need to risk your lives for the same information."

"I believe Yoko is much more skilled in this art than our men," Hitashi said, nodding to the thief. "He also is on better terms with Lord Yomi, and would definitely be an asset on the ground as we prepared to move in."

"Well, you'll definitely be able to prove your point about stealth if you are successful," General Yahiko said with a small smile that Yoko politely returned. Kurogane looked at him with narrowed eyes, while Yoko continued to ignore him.

"I can go with," Kaori said, catching the men's attention. "You don't need to risk a prince when there are others willing to go in your place."

"We don't need to risk the one they are trying to take from us," Kurogane added. "It'd be safer for you to either stay here or at least with Yusuke and the army to make sure we don't have a hostage situation com out of this."

"I can handle myself," Kaori said, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not worth the risk," Yoko said simply, continuing to eat his meal. Kaori looked at him to plead her case but he gave her hand a small squeeze under the table. She sighed and returned to her plate while the others continued to speak.

"How soon do you plan to attack?" the queen asked, sipping some of her wine. "The sooner this is taken care of, the sooner we can get back to taking care of your father and returning the kingdom to how it's supposed to be."

"Father is doing much better, thanks to you," Hitomi said, smiling at Kaori and Yoko. Yoko simply nodded while Kaori gave a soft smile. "One of the doctors says he's starting to recover nicely. Whatever sickness it was is breaking now."

"That's wonderful news," Yusuke said. "I'd like to find out what was making him sick, but I guess him getting better is the most important thing."

"Don't worry, Yusuke," Yoko said. "We will still investigate the matter, even after the king is well. I'm sure it has to do with Kurogane and why we're here."

"Then I suggest you solve this problem quickly before something else happens while you're here," the queen said, eyes narrowed while she took a sip of her drink.

"Of course," Kaori said with a small nod of her head.

17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17

"Let me get this straight," Kaori said, watching Yoko from the door of his room. She had changed into a pair of shorts she brought from home and a couple layered tank tops. "You were planning on sneaking over to their little fort castle thing anyway?"

"At least now I know there's backup to ease your mind," Yoko said, sliding on his shoes. He wore a variation of his normal attire, but a looser shirt and bag over his shoulder.

"My mind would be at ease if I was there with you." Kaori crossed her arms and waited for Yoko to catch her eye. "I'm serious."

"I'm not letting you go with," Yoko said, finally turning to look at her. "You'll be safer here."

"And you suddenly trust everyone here to take care of me? Since when?"

"Since I talked to Hitashi and Kurogane." Kaori raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "I was on my way to…_talk_ to Kurogane, when I ran into Hitashi. He knows the delicacy of the situation and how prepared with must be before we deal with this alliance."

"But why are you going now?" Kaori interrupted, sitting on the edge of Yoko's bed.

"Who said I'm going now?" he replied, smiling softly. "I'm going to see Hitashi to talk about our plan. Don't wait up. It may be a long night."

Kaori looked him in the eyes and narrowed her own. "You're holding something back from me."

"You're worrying too much," Yoko said, pulling Kaori back up to her feet. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Kaori waited for a while before sighing. She turned to leave, but Yoko caught her by her arm. He pulled her into a kiss, holding her close before letting her go. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kaori said slowly, before heading over to her room. She leaned against the door and waited, hearing Yoko leave and head down to Hitashi's room. Once he was out of earshot, Kaori left her room and headed over to visit Yusuke. After knocking and waiting a moment, the Spirit Detective pulled open his door and let her in.

"So I guess you've been uneasy about this attack too, huh?" he asked as Kaori plopped on a chair with her arms crossed. "I'm sure everything will be ok. There are still a few days before they even head out, and we'll go with them."

"Yoko doesn't _want_ us to go with them," Kaori growled. "I don't think he even wants to take Hitashi."

"Never suspected Kurama got his self sacrificing tendencies from his demon side," Yusuke mumbled. Kaori raised an eyebrow, making Yusuke shrug. "I mean, when I first met the guy, he was going to sacrifice himself to save his mom, completely ignoring the fact that she'd miss him if he died saving her. Here I thought it was his human side that was too sentimental."

"I doubt it's all about sentiment," Kaori said, waving him off. "It's more of a pride in knowing that he did something he shouldn't have. I just know he's hiding something. When he comes back tonight, we're going to talk."

Yusuke smiled mischievously. "I definitely want to be around for that."

17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hitashi said, hands folded on his desk. "I understand your reasoning, but wouldn't it be easier to have help getting into the fortress?"

"I doubt getting in will be difficult," Yoko said, pulling off his shirt. Underneath was a much tighter, black shirt that fit snugly. It matched the black pants underneath his normal white pants, which he stepped out of and folded over. "There is no fear on the other side, so I doubt they will notice my presence until I have what I need."

"But what do you need?" Hitashi asked, standing and leaning on his hands. "We have their numbers – a formidable number, but not too strong. And we know the demons that are in charge, with an idea of their general levels of strength. What information is worth risking yourself?"

"I want to know why," Yoko mused, setting his clothes on a shelf and keeping his back to the prince. "Kaori is not the strongest demon in Makai, and she was already lost to them. Konajiru was horribly close-minded in his pursuit and never should have been in charge of such a valuable asset. And they're informed about all of our pasts and present plans, but claim innocence in your father's poisoning. Why?"

"My only concern is that we can't get to you in time if you need us," Hitashi said. "There is a good chance someone will find you, especially with them preparing for their expansion. What if we're not there and something unexpected occurs?" Yoko smirked, turning to meet Hitashi's eyes.

"I'll improvise." Hitashi couldn't help but smile back. He nodded, and Yoko returned the gesture. He opened the door and looked back. "Tomorrow morning."

"No sooner," Hitashi said with a nod. Yoko returned the gesture and stepped out, shutting the door behind him. Hitashi sighed, sitting back in his chair and closing his eyes. There was nothing left to do but wait. An hour or so later, one of his men came to say that someone left the kingdom, but they had no idea whom. They were dismissed with no punishment.

No one else came that night, and it wasn't until a knock on his door near the crack of dawn startled him that Hitashi realized he had fallen asleep on his desk, dreading the one he could feel on the other side. "Come in," he said, slightly hoarse from just waking up. The door cracked open and Kaori stuck her head in.

"I don't mean to be interrupting, but Yoko's been here all night and I'm a bit worried," Kaori trailed off, looking around the room for her silver haired companion.

"Please sit down," Hitashi said, waving her over to a chair across from him. Kaori slowly walked in and sat down, still in her clothes from the night before. "I hope you didn't stay awake all night waiting for him to come back."

"I fell asleep once or twice," Kaori said off handedly. Her mind was not on her lost sleep. Her voice got colder as she continued. "Yoko said he'd be here, planning with you."

"Ah," Hitashi sighed. Of course Yoko would have her come directly to him. "Well, as you can see, he's not here." By now Yoko should've reached the compound and was hopefully safely inside. Surely it was morning enough for him to be able to avoid lying to Kaori.

Kaori stared at him, her eyes firm. "You let him go on ahead alone." It was definitely not a question. "So he's probably there already, and hopefully he didn't just waltz in like he owned the place just to see how they would react." When she stood to leave, Hitashi reached across and grabbed her wrist.

"Trust me," he said. "I'm sure he isn't dumb enough to risk our operation on a bit of curiosity." When Kaori made no more move to leave -other than narrow her eyes- Hitashi deemed it safe to let her go. "We talked yesterday, and he made me swear to keep it from you until now, because he knew you'd try to go with him."

"So what does he want us to do?" Kaori asked, sitting back in the chair and crossing her arms. "Let me goes, he gets to go have all the fun doing more 'reconnaissance' and we go in afterwards to get him out and finish the job."

Hitashi chuckled. "For sake of argument, yes, that is the plan."

"When do we leave?"

"When will you be ready?"

Kaori stood and was already walking to the door before she answered. "I'll meet you outside in 10."


	18. Step One

Hello all! This took longer than even I expected to get out... But I'm on a roll, so expect the next chapter NOT in 2 months. A lot goes on in this chapter, mostly cause I wanna tie this up in the next few chapters. Hopefully you all like where this is going. Read and Review! I'm going to immediately open a new document to start chapter 19. Read and Review!

**Chapter 18**

Yoko took in a deep breath and sighed. While everything had basically gone according to plan, and he was right where he wanted to be, he wasn't exactly sure how much he wanted to be there.

Currently, he in what would be considered an air duct near the heart of the enemy fortress. While not an actual duct for heat or air conditioning which was common in the human world, this was basically part of a series of holes in the stone work to allow for air flow within the fortress. Finding the entrance had been rather fortunate, if not simplistic, for someone of his, well, previous profession. He planted a vine that dug through and back out into the forest. Kaori would easily be able to find and track it, since he was sure that she would tag along, no matter how much he wanted her to stay behind.

It would probably be for the best, if things outside were any indicator of what was going on inside. The guard patrols were on time, and even thicker than Hitashi's men had informed them. Troops were running final drills and splitting out into squads. They were definitely preparing for something, and Yoko knew he was there just in time.

Unfortunately, he was stuck inside the compound with no way to warn Lord Hitashi about the increasing preparations. He knew they wouldn't be leaving for at least another few hours, and he could hear a storm rolling in. Yoko couldn't help the smirk that crept on his face. The thunderstorm would be the perfect cover, as long as it stayed long enough for the actual assault.

Yoko paused as he heard footsteps below him. He froze, from head to tail, with only his ears following the sounds. The lack of energy meant that one of the footsteps belong to Masahiro, and the other had belonged to the demon Takeshi, whom he fought with Yusuke and Kaori. They were travelling in the same direction he was, towards the center of the fortress, which meant Yoko was definitely on the right track.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Masahiro asked as he passed under Yoko.

"Are you worried about her abilities or her loyalty?" Takeshi replied with a chuckle.

"I'm worried about her safety, to be completely honest," Masahiro said, pausing. Takeshi stopped after a few steps himself. "I'm sure that she can persuade them to join us, but I'm not certain they will give her a chance. How many years has it been since she's fought a fair fight against anyone as strong as Hitashi or Konajiru or Raizen's heir? She should not be going alone."

"Then tell Reika when we get there," Takeshi said as he began to walk again. Masahiro followed silently, deep in thought.

Yoko waited a few moments before he continued following them. He travelled for another hundred meters before he came to the edge of the duct, where the only way left to go was down the shaft and into the large room it emptied into. Luckily, he could sense not only the two demons he had been tracking, but also the two they were going to meet.

"There isn't time to second guess this," a new, booming voice said. Yoko assumed that it was Nobuo, who had to be the largest of the group, but seemed to have less energy than either Takeshi or Masahiro. He could barely sense the fourth demon until she spoke.

"I can handle the lightning demons," a soft and steady voice said. "They will join us, and then we can deal with the rest. I'll take a few of our stronger men as protection, if that will ease your concerns."

"What about the king?" Takeshi asked.

"He should be saved," Masahiro said. "They should keep as much consistency as possible, to make the transition as simple as possible."

"I can reach the king," Reika continued. "I know where they keep him. He will be the final piece, and then we can move out. I'll signal you when we will begin."

Yoko sat back out of earshot and took a few deep breaths. That voice… It was almost hypnotizing. How could the other three sit and listen to her? Maybe it was his hearing, maybe it was because he wasn't prepared, but he knew what she was now.

A siren.

How could they have not figured it out before? That's how she was able to manipulate people so well. That was why Kaori was not nearly as brainwashed. If only he had known before, they would have been better prepared. Of course she was persuasive, she had the voice of a goddess. If only he could have her all to himself, he woul-

Yoko punched himself in the face. He could not let her get into his head before he even got to confront them. He reached into his hair and pulled out a leaf. It was bitter as he chewed it, but it helped to clear out his mind. He slid back over to the hole where he could still hear. Luckily, his mind didn't become fuzzy when he heard Reika again.

"The Queen will not be a problem," she was saying. "While she is the figurehead while her husband is incapacitated, she's not nearly as powerful as her sons. She will have to follow their lead, since one of them will be heir to what remains of their kingdom."

"We should act quickly," Masahiro said. "I'm certain that they aren't content to mill around and wait for us. I'm sure they are preparing a defense at the moment. If there's any hope for Kaori to-"

"We don't need Kaori anymore," Reika said, her voice becoming cold. "Enough time has already been lost trying to get that stupid kit to come back to us willingly. And for what? Konajiru to be killed and Kurogane to betray us? She's too much of a liability."

"But she is a tie to Koenma," Nobuo said. "Those allies of his are trying too hard to protect her. If we can get to her, they'll bend over backwards to get her back safely."

"I'd rather have the detective myself," Takeshi said, siding with Reika. "All three worlds know of their power. We don't need to control her, we need to control them."

"I can handle it," Reika said with a smirk in her voice. "You prepare the troops for tonight, and I'll handle the is no way they can resist me."

_Whatever you say,_ Yoko thought, half rolling his eyes. He needed to get out of there and back to Hitashi as soon as possible. He could feel his mind beginning to cloud a bit, so he grabbed another leaf as he started sliding back away from the opening.

"Going so soon?"

He froze in his spot. Masahiro could not have been talking to him. There was no way they knew he was there.

"Yes," Reika answered, heading towards the door. Yoko let out a sigh of relief, though it didn't last. "I have a little detour to make, so I should go now before our little spy heads back home."

Yoko cursed and took off down the shaft just as a blast of energy turned his previous hiding spot into debris. Luckily for him he was a kitsune and used to moving quickly on all fours. Soon enough he got to a larger part of the duct and was able to run upright, though he was still completely hunched over.

Another blast of energy behind him let him know that he clearly had not gotten off scot-free. He could just hear rain falling, and the occasional crack of thunder. It sounded like a horrible mess outside, which would be perfect if he could just GET there. Why was this duct so long?!

He could see the start of the vine that he planted, and caught the back end of the last patrol going by. His timing could not have been better. Yoko sprinted out, pulling the vine with him much too fast for the guard to notice, and the blast coming out of the duct turned him around just as Yoko made it to the tree line. Shouting could be heard behind him, but he didn't stop. They were trying to determine the origin of the blast and missed the black and silver blur that leapt deftly up into the trees while the wind and a bit of branch manipulation covered his trail.

Yoko continued running for another minute or so before pausing to catch his breath. He was soaked, and had been seared on his tail. He hadn't dared risk using any energy to ease the pain, and even now hesitated before he allowed his body to begin healing itself.

Yoko fed a bit of energy into the ground and the surrounding brush, and thankfully no one was near finding his hiding spot. He and Hitashi had planned to attack the fortress from the far side, away from the most direct route to the lightning kingdom. That way, any retreat could not be cut off, and a separate defense dispatch would not accidently attack any returning countrymen. The guards obviously were oblivious to this tactic and were heading off in the opposite direction. However, he could sense a couple who had been sent out randomly to check the surrounding area.

Before Yoko could plan on dispatching the pair, he was caught by the neck and pulled up higher into the tree he was hiding in. He met a pair of purple eyes and saw a finger held up to a pair of lips. He nodded once before Kaori turned and slipped through the tree tops, heading slightly north. He followed, only then sensing another demon pass underneath, leaping through the trees, right by where he was hiding.

It took a few minutes at their slow but silent pace, and finally they reached a clearing where a few dozen lightning demons were sitting and waiting. When Kaori and Yoko landed, they all stood, some looking relieved and others even more nervous. It didn't take long before Kurogane, and Yusuke came to meet the pair.

"Glad to see you're alright," Kurogane said, though it was evident he didn't like Yoko's little trick earlier.

"Yeah, I thought Kaori would've killed you for sure," Yusuke said.

"Thanks Yusuke," Kaori mumbled, crossing her arms and sitting on a log. Yoko looked to her and only then noticed how cold she was being.

_Saw that coming, _he thought to himself. They were here early, meaning that Kaori had pushed to get to him, knowing he'd probably get into trouble. While he was grateful for the assistance, he wasn't prepared for her to be so angry to see him. He turned to Hitashi, and said aloud, "How many men did you leave at your kingdom?"

"About a third of our force," he said. "Another third is guarding the area just below our kingdom, in case of an attack. The rest are here."

"Are there any women among the troops?" Yoko asked. The prince raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Reika is planning to go there and brainwash your people into following their cause. Unless we act quickly, the kingdom will be lost." This started a near panic among the troops here were there. Thankfully, Yoko saw a few female faces, but the majority of the army was male.

"How can she only brainwash the men?" Kurogane asked.

"She's a siren," Yoko said. Kaori looked up, slightly confused, while Yusuke looked deflated. "Human lore talks of them, though there have been very few in existence. She is able to cloud and manipulate minds and wills with only her voice. She wouldn't even need to fight to get most of your men on her side. Female demons are immune to these charms, which is why Kaori wasn't affected when they met before."

"What, is she going to sing them to death?" Yusuke asked. Yoko almost rolled his eyes.

"She was their ace in the hole," Yoko nearly growled out. "They expect everyone to be in the kingdom and for her to get you all on their side without having to kill your men. They have an army that's preparing to depart, but not for the lightning kingdom. They plan to take over demon world tonight with your assistance because your brains won't be able to resist."

"So what do you intend we do?" Kurogane asked. "Send out all the women to fight her? They wouldn't stand a chance against a powerful demon like her."

"I would," Kaori said, standing up. "We can give the men something to keep their minds focused and clear. If for some reason she actually makes it to the kingdom, I'll take her down." Yoko pulled out a plant, with bitter leaves like he had been eating before.

"Grow some of these," Yoko said, handing the shrubbery to Kaori. "It's achiote, and will help to keep everyone's minds clear from Reika's influence."

"There's no way this is a permanent solution," Kurogane said while Kaori memorized the structure and feel of the plant before forming her own. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Well, it's a human world plant," Yoko said. "With a bit of infused demon energy, it should be stronger and much more effective."

"Will there be enough to for me to make it to the kingdom and back?" Kaori asked. It was clear by his slight flinch that Yoko did not want her at the forefront of this fight.

"Probably. Reika said she had to make a stop first."

"Where?" Yusuke asked. Almost immediately, Yoko's compact went off. After sending up a quick 'thank you' that it didn't go off while he was in the fortress, he opened it to reveal Ayame.

"I'm assuming you guys didn't open a portal to the human world?" she asked, voice hopeful.

"No, we're staying here," Yoko said while Kaori tensed. "Where's the portal?"

"About a mile south of here," she said. "Hiei and Shigure went to go check on it in case it wasn't you."

"Crap," Yusuke mumbled. He was already pulling out his communicator to call Koenma when Kaori took Yoko's.

"Who?" he asked.

"Me," Kaori replied. "She won't make it back here alive."

Yoko nodded, pulling aside Kurogane and planning what they will do on their end, now that Reika wouldn't be a threat in Demon World.

"Ayame, listen to me," she said. "There's a woman coming who may have already brain washed them. You and Masuyo get to Genkai's as fast as possible. I'm on my way."

"Wait, what?" Ayame asked. "You're joking. There's no way we'll make it to-"

"We'll meet you, just go!" Kaori ordered. Ayame nodded grimly then hung up. Today was not her day. Not only had Shigure and Hiei been silently trying to kill each other, but Masuyo had finally found a text that didn't appear tampered with, and things were not looking good for Koenma right about now.

She bolted through the house, calling out Masuyo's name, before finally finding her, still pouring through the book.

"This doesn't make sense," Masuyo muttered before looking up to Ayame. "Why would they-"

"No time," Ayame said, pulling Masuyo to her feet. "We need to get to Genkai's. Yusuke isn't coming through the portal, and we need to get out of here." Masuyo grabbed the book and followed Ayame out into the woods. Luckily there was a well beaten path to Genkai's lands, but it was still a pretty long trip.

"Where are Hiei and my brother?" Masuyo asked.

"Dealing with the threat I think," Ayame said. Luckily, she now had the ability to sense where Hiei was, and the funny portal for that matter. Unfortunately, Hiei arrived at its location and stopped, and she could only assume Shigure was with him.

As the two women continued their way along, Ayame sensed another portal open ahead of them. She paused a moment, before sensing Kaori's energy come through and flare itself slightly. Hiei seemed to have been heading towards Masuyo's house – much slower than Hiei usually moved, now that she thought about it – before he stopped and started heading towards Kaori. On the bright side, they were closer to Kaori than Hiei, and at their current pace, they'd be there in no time.

Masuyo tripped over a stump, dropping the book before catching herself. "Are you ok?" Ayame asked, helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Masuyo said, grabbing the book once again.

"Come on, we're close to Kaori," Ayame said. Suddenly, she felt a cold shiver go down her spine and realized that Hiei was not as far away as he had been a moment before. "Crap, this is not good." Kaori appeared in front of them, much to her relief. "What is going on?"

"Reika's here," Kaori said, pulling a seed from her hair and making it sprout. "She's a siren, and is most likely brainwashing Hiei and Shigure as we speak."

"What?!" Masuyo interrupted. "We have to help them!"

"That's why I'm here," Kaori said, breaking off two pairs of leaves and giving them to each girl. "Eat this. She's powerful, and since you're human she'll be able to affect you, too." Both girls bit into the leaves, grimacing at the bitter taste. "We need to get you safe to Genkai's, then I'll take out Reika and get the guys back."

They were no more than 50 feet away before Hiei appeared immediately behind them, looking surprisingly not angry to see them. His normal glare was softened, and he looked more disappointed than furious. "Why are you running away?" he asked, making all three spin around in surprise.

"We just wanted to get to Genkai's, and it's getting rather dark," Ayame said, easing Masuyo behind her and Kaori. "Are you coming with us? We could use the escort."

"You don't trust us," Hiei replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "Demons. You don't trust us as a whole. We're not all _that_ terrible."

_Crap, crap, crap… _Ayame's mind repeated over and over.

"You know that's not true, Hiei," Kaori said, taking a step closer to Ayame. Hiei merely glared at her, turning to face her directly.

"She's the one not be trusted," he growled out. "Always putting herself first, never giving anyone a chance, trying to run all three worlds by herself."

"What are you talking about, Hiei?" Kaori asked. "You know we're friends, and I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"You got us into this fight without giving her a chance!" Hiei practically shouted.

"Who's her?" Ayame asked, arms crossing. Hiei turned to her and blinked a second.

"Reika," he said, rather timidly, before continuing much stronger. "She's on her way now. That's why she wanted me to catch you, to give her a chance."

"She's brainwashing you," Kaori tried again. Hiei's glare returned in full as he put his hand on his sword.

"Like you haven't been this whole time," he growled.

"Hiei, you listen to me," Ayame said, taking a step forward. She could sense this Reika lady coming closer, and in a few minutes she'd be right on top of them, most likely bringing a brainwashed Shigure along for the fight. They needed Hiei to get back to his senses quickly.

Luckily, she had Hiei's undivided attention as she walked up to him. He seemed to falter, taking a step backwards even as she got closer. "Hiei, you don't want to hurt us," she continued. He glared over her shoulder at Kaori before Ayame intercepted his gaze and stepped back into his line of sight. "You don't want to hurt me, do you?"

Hiei seemed caught for a second, unsure of what to say. Ayame could see the haze over his eyes while he tried to think straight. "No," he finally muttered, grip loosening on his sword.

Ayame reached a tentative hand up to touch his shoulder, trying to keep his attention on her and off of Kaori. "Hiei, I trust you. I always will and I always have." _Except when I thought you'd kill me that one time I actually hit you, _she added silently to herself. "I know you were told some things about us – me, and you know they're not true, Hiei. I'd never betray you, or side with someone who'd hurt you."

Hiei seemed mesmerized by her, looking only from her eyes to her lips while she talked. Kaori couldn't believe that this was working, but she nodded to Masuyo who started backing towards Genkai's temple. If Ayame could keep Hiei distracted long enough for Masuyo getting to a safe distance, she could probably tackle Hiei and force feed him some achiote.

"What did she do to you?" Ayame asked.

"No one's going to get hurt," Hiei said softly, eyes locked on Ayame's lips. "They want to help. Koenma's an idiot and we need new leadership. Reika's not our enemy."

"I'm not your enemy," she said, biting her lip softly. This was definitely getting intense. She shifted her hand to his cheek, pulling his eyes back up to hers and his face slightly closer. The cloudiness seemed to be fading, but she knew there was no way he'd let her do this if he was completely in his right mind. _Why_ was _she_ doing this in _her_ right mind?!

"I… know," Hiei said, voice barely over a whisper. He brought his hand up and traced her face with one finger, catching her completely off guard.

"So, you trust me?" Ayame asked, making Hiei's finger pause at her chin. He nodded slowly, eyes drifting back to Ayame's lips. "Hiei?"

"Hm?" he asked, eyes locked.

_We don't have time for this, _Ayame thought. She had about a minute before Reika would get there and only one spare leaf in her pocket. _Here goes everything…_

Ayame leaned forward, placing her lips on Hiei's. Time seemed frozen, and she could hear Kaori gasp behind her. Hiei didn't move for a moment, before he too leaned into the kiss, his right hand slipping behind her head while he slid his other arm behind Ayame's back, pulling her into him.

Now it was Ayame's turn to gasp, surprised that Hiei, even in his less than stable mental state, was returning her… feelings. Hiei deepened the kiss, taking advantage of Ayame's surprise and slipped his tongue into her mouth. His grip on her tightened as her hands fell to his chest, before he suddenly stiffened. Ayame pulled back slowly, opening her eyes to see Hiei looking at her, slightly confused but not nearly as angry as she expected.

Then, in a moment, he was ten feet away from her, glaring to where they could all sense Reika and hand back on his sword. "What did she do to me?" he growled out.

Ayame could only stare at him silently, feeling the heat rising in her face. Kaori coughed, unsure of what exactly to do. "Reika's a siren," Kaori said finally. "She must have brainwashed you into not trusting us."

Hiei's eyes narrowed before realization struck Ayame. "Kaori gave me a plant to keep our heads clear," she said. "There must have been some leftover in my… um…" she didn't want to finish the sentence, feeling the blush coming on stronger.

"Well, look who we have here."

All three turned to see Shigure and Reika, who was smiling brilliantly.

"Thank you for keeping them here, Hiei," Reika said, before pouting. "Aw, you missed one." It was only then that Ayame turned behind her, noticing that Masuyo was gone.

"What do you want, Reika?" Kaori asked, stepping up in front of Hiei and Ayame.

"Peace," she said, smile returning to her face. "All we ever wanted was peace, dear. You just fought it the whole way."

"You brainwash who you can and try to kill who you can't," Hiei said, sword in hand. Reika looked at him in surprise, taken aback by his outburst.

"I told you who you could trust," she said, eyes narrowing at him. "I told you what I could do for you."

"Like I can trust you," Hiei growled out, taking a step forward before Kaori put her hand out in front of him. He looked to her, then to her closed fist. She opened it, revealing another leaf.

_You better eat this before she can get back into your head,_ she said silently to him.

_**How long will this last?**_Hiei replied, quickly grabbing and eating the leaf while Reika looked even more surprised.

_Long enough for me to deal with her._

"Shigure, be a dear and show him why he shouldn't mess with me," Reika said, petting his chin while she talked. "I'm sure you don't want him to hurt me."

"Why would he want to hurt you?" Shigure asked. "You're trying to stop this needless war."

"She's trying to take over the world," Kaori interrupted, walking towards the pair. Reika gave a wicked smile while she pulled off her kimono. Underneath it she had a cropped top with short, black pants and a leather belt holding half a dozen knives.

"You always were one to try and spoil my fun," she chuckled. "I guess it's only fitting that I take care of you."

"Bring it on," Kaori said, pulling a rose from her hair. She charged at Reika, who dodged up into the tree cover. Shigure charged up his energy, but a root grabbed him by the arm, throwing off his aim, and allowing Kaori to follow behind Reika.

"Shigure, you need to stop this," Ayame said, rushing up towards him. Hiei pulled her back while Shigure jumped up and took a defensive stance.

"You can't just charge at him because you don't have demon energy," he scolded.

"I can defend myself if I need to," she said. "We have to clear out his head so we can help Kaori."

"You should know better than to fight a battle you can't win," Shigure said, charging up his energy once again. Hiei ran at him, pulling up his sword and making the human jump back away from him. He side-stepped Hiei's third thrust, punching him in the jaw.

Hiei skidded back, half from the force and half from his attempt to dodge Shigure's painful spirit energy. Shigure fired a blast that Hiei dodged, while Ayame ran up and tackled him. He kicked her off before rolling up and dodging a swing from Hiei, then catching his knee to the rib.

Shigure landed against a tree, wincing as he slid to the ground. Above him, Reika crashed into the same tree, growling as Kaori lunched at her again. Reika grabbed one of her knives, summed her energy and fired it, sending the kitsune backwards and plummeting to the ground when it dug into her shoulder.

"Hiei, you have to go help her," Ayame said, watching as Reika leapt over them and chased after her best friend, two more knives in hand.

Hiei nodded, tossing Ayame his scabbard before disappearing into the trees after the pair. He found Reika first, who had just lunged at Kaori. She countered, tossing the growling demon into another tree. Reika caught herself, landing on the side of the trunk, but had to dodge a root that reached for her neck. Before she could charge back at Kaori, Hiei slashed at her back, making her wince and turn, slashing at him with her blade. He dodged easily before Kaori kicked her to the ground.

"It's over," Hiei said, holding his sword to her throat. Reika hissed as her energy grew and quickly blocked the sword and fired a blast at Hiei. He took it to the chest, but rolled to his feet a few yards away. Reika charged at Kaori, who summoned fire on her fists and blocked Reika's shots.

Hiei growled and charged in again.

Shigure growled, running after Hiei. However, Ayame cut him off, catching him on the side of his head with the scabbard. Shigure stumbled and Ayame kicked him in his bruised rib.

"You need to listen to us!" Ayame said. "She's messing with your mind!"

"You're messing with my mind!" Shigure growled back, charging at Ayame. She dodged, almost surprised at the quickness she exhibited, before getting kicked in the stomach. She fell back, gasping for air and almost dropping the leaf Kaori gave her. Shigure walked up to her, and she had to roll away from his kick, jumping to her feet and holding the scabbard like a sword.

Shigure charged and she blocked his attacks with the combination of the scabbard and her own fist before punching him back away from her. Shigure glared, and was about to say something, before he was blindsided by Reika, flying through the air.

The two rolled for a few feet before Reika kicked him off of her, crying out from her energy conflicting with Shigure's. Shigure himself landed in pain from the strength of her energy and withered under her glare. Kaori landed in the clearing, kicking Reika in the back as Hiei landed, slashing through her leg. The demon screamed, falling back and holding at her ankle. "Do something, you idiot!" she shouted at Shigure. Instantly he made a barrier, catching Kaori as she tried to finish off Reika.

She screamed, trying to pull away as her energy was ripped from her. Hiei pulled her back, wincing as the two fell to the ground. Ayame clenched the leaf, crumpling it before popping it in her mouth, and tightened her grip on the scabbard. Then, she charged at Shigure.

He wasn't prepared as she jumped through the barrier, tackling him to the ground. Before he could do anything to get her off, she crashed her mouth over his while simultaneously jabbing him in his rib with the scabbard. He cried out slightly, but it was stifled with Ayame's mouth over his. She forced the leaf into his mouth with her tongue, hoping his shock would be thorough enough for him to not fight her off.

It only took a second for his tenseness to start to fade, and in that second, Reika kicked Ayame off of him, sending her rolling back out the barrier and into a rock. Shigure blinked, trying to realize what was going on, when he saw Reika standing over him, a feral look on her once beautiful face.

Instinctually he shoved some energy at her, knocking her back in time for him to get to his feet and face her, shrinking the barrier to just encasing her. Ayame stood as well, wincing but relieved to see that Shigure was back on their side. When her eyes looked over to Kaori and Hiei, who got to their feet, she saw Hiei just staring blankly at her. She didn't have long to wonder what he was thinking before she jumped as Reika shouted in frustration.

"Your stupid human is going to pay for this!" she yelled, pounding at the ground. "I'll rip out her heart and shove it down her throat! We'll kill all of them, Kaori! All of them! And it's your fault!" Her once melodious voice was now shrieking, almost painful, making Shigure and Ayame take a step back.

"Drop the barrier," Kaori said to Shigure, eyes glowing as she walked up to him.

"Are you serious?" Shigure asked. "She just said she's going to-"

"You drop that barrier or I'm going through it," Kaori growled, turning to look at him. The fire in her hands burned up her arms, and the tips of her tails seemed to ignite. Shigure took another step back, lowering the barrier enough to let Kaori in before putting it up.

Reika swung at Kaori, only to pull back in pain when she blocked with her hand. Burns ran along her arm and for a moment she looked frightened before a smirk crossed her features.

"So when do I get to see Koenma and make a deal?" she purred, looking almost relaxed.

"Oh, Lord Koenma?" Kaori asked, finger to her lip. "He doesn't think you're alive. And he hates being wrong." With that she smirked, jumping at Reika who let out a surprised shriek. Reika tried to crawl away, but Kaori burned her leg while pulling her back. She punched her one solid time in the back of the neck, knocking her down and scorching her at the same time. She then stood on her neck, while Reika gasped and tried to breathe.

"She's killing her," Shigure stated, unsure of whether or not they should try to stop her. Hiei scoffed crossing his arms.

Reika stopped moving and Kaori waited a moment before removing her foot, energy coming under control. She turned and looked at the trio, eyes back to their normal purple. "She's not dead," she said, walking over as Shigure lowered the barrier.

"Why not?" Ayame asked, still holding her side.

"I enjoy proving Koenma wrong," Kaori said with a shrug. "She'll know better than to try and attack you from now on."

"And we kicked butt!" Ayame said, smiling as Kaori gave her a very gentle high five.

"Sorry about that," Shigure said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know how she was able to do that to me, but thanks for bringing me out of it."

"No problem," Ayame said with a small smile. She caught Hiei tense beside her, but before she could turn to look at him, he was gone.

"Where's Masuyo?" Shigure asked.

"At Genkai's," Kaori said, heading back over to Reika. In a moment, a few vines had bound her up, and Kaori hefted her up on her shoulder. "We can go there now, get some wards on this one-" here she poked Reika-" and call up Yusuke so they can take out the rest of this alliance.

Shigure followed Kaori as she headed to the temple, with Ayame not far behind. They quickly arrived at Genkai's Temple, and saw her and Masuyo sitting on the porch, drinking tea. Masuyo looked relieved, while Genkai looked annoyed.

"Another freeloader," she muttered. While Masuyo hugged Shigure, Genkai easily took Reika off of Kaori's hands and down to a room where she could be contained. Kaori sat on the porch, and called Kurama, while Ayame headed inside and sat alone, gingerly holding her side.

_Hiei?_ she thought tentatively. _Can you hear me?_

She was met only by silence, and couldn't sense his energy anywhere. She curled up on the couch, waiting for some sign that he came back to the temple or was somewhere nearby. She couldn't keep her thoughts off of that kiss, and fell asleep wishing she could have that moment back.

Not to take it back, but just to have it one more time.


	19. Always On Top

AAAAND I'm back with the next chapter! In less than a week! I have no idea what drove me so much to get this out, but I just couldn't let this sit. I'm going to go with the fact that for some reason, I couldn't let Ayame and Hiei leave off not talking, and suddenly their relationship is my favorite in this story...

I spent SOOO much time on the end of this, and I hope it works for you guys. Literally, I wrote the first two parts by Friday, and spent the rest of the weekend and earlier today editing and rewriting and making this fit the image in my head. I hope it makes sense, and I hope it's what you guys want, and I hope it's not too OOC. Also, this may be the longest chapter I've written to date, so yay, me!

Onward! Review, my lovelies!

**Chapter 19**

Masahiro did not like this at all. It had been way too long since anyone had heard from Reika, there was a horrible storm currently drenching the compound, and Nobuo was too antsy to get into a fight. Takeshi found him, standing at the main entrance, watching the final exercises in the pouring rain with his arms folded and a scowl on his face.

"Something's not right," Masahiro muttered, half to himself, half to his new company. "She never takes this long to contact us."

"She hasn't had as much as a challenge in the past," Takeshi replied. "Genkai is still a powerful foe, and I doubt that Hiei would be easy to control, especially with his Jagan eye."

"She's practiced, especially for him," Masahiro interrupted. "She should have contacted us by now. Who went with her?"

"No one," Nobuo said, walking up to the pair. "She didn't want to be tied down because we didn't trust her. If she couldn't handle an old hag and a puny Cyclops, then we'll just go to the lightning kingdom ourselves. It's more fun this way." He let out a roaring laugh, hitting Takeshi and Masahiro on the back.

"So we go on without her?" Takeshi asked. "Take the lightning kingdom by force and hope the princes take our side without taking too many casualties?"

"It's more fun to just cut our way through," Nobuo laughed, heading out into the storm and letting out a roar that rallied the troops into their own shouts.

"And then there were three," Masahiro sighed.

"She may not be entirely lost," Takeshi said, placing his hand on Masahiro's shoulders. "If she was captured, I doubt they'd kill one so valuable. We can get her back."

"And Kurogane?" Masahiro asked, turning and walking back into the main room of the complex. "Or Hitashi, Hiei, or Yoko Kurama? Their alliance would be vital and it is lost. Even if we get the kingdom, we cannot possibly move on to the human's realm or Spirit World."

"But it will be enough for us here." Takeshi turned back to the troops, lining up and beginning their march into the surrounding woods. "The current king is weak, Mukuro passive, and Yomi set in his ways. We don't need to change things abroad if we can make a difference here. We know what is best for our kind and we don't need their interference."

"You know Nobuo won't want to stop. He can be just as stubborn as Konajiru was."

"Then we'll stop him ourselves." Takeshi looked back to Masahiro and smiled, fang glinting in the flash of lightning, while Masahiro's chuckle was covered by the strong roll of thunder crossing the land.

19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19

Yoko sat on the lowest branch of a tree, aside the only real path between the lightning kingdom and the alliance's compound, leg and tail dangling casually below him while he chewed on the end of a twig. Immediately next to him was Kurogane, mirroring his positioning, save the twig. They moved their positioning to the opposite side of the complex, leading the more defensive third of the lightning army, while Yusuke waited with the other third that was away from home.

It didn't take long before they sensed movement coming along and around the path. A group of demons had been dispatched apparently and were on their way. Yoko couldn't help but smirk as he saw them, tail twitching in excitement. He looked over to Kurogane, who seemed almost disappointed. His ears twitched at the group of men and their clanging armor before he turned to Yoko. The two nodded in unison and hopped down to the ground, stepping up onto the path and halting the group.

"Hi," Yoko said, finally pulling the twig out of his mouth. A murmur went through the group, realizing that the two kitsunes before them were more powerful than any within their ranks.

The lieutenant stepped up, eyeing both men before him. "Either you're with us, or you're against us," he said. "Whose side are you on?"

"My own," Yoko and Kurogane said in unison before looking at each other.

"Oh, I'm sorry, go on," Kurogane said with a small smirk. Yoko turned to him and bowed.

"No, after you, I insist," he said, smirk never leaving his face. Kurogane returned the gesture, making the lieutenant growl and pull out his sword.

"How dare you!" he said. The men behind him also drew their weapons, and the ones around them in the forest began to surround them and make themselves known.

"Probably not a good idea to have so much armor on in a thunderstorm," Kurogane said offhandedly, turning to face those who had come up behind him.

"Probably wasn't a good idea coming out here," Yoko mumbled, flicking some rain off of his tail. There was a crack of lightning in the sky, and suddenly all the men were flat on the ground, lightning demons standing over all of the carcasses. The lieutenant gasped, taking a step back. In an instant, Kurogane charged, hand forming a blade of lightning and cutting him in two.

"Is that everyone?" he asked, watching as the rain already began to clean up the blood.

"Looks like it," Yoko said. With a bit of energy, the plant life began pulling the bodies into the ground, while his more carnivorous plants began eating the remains, leaving no sign of confrontation. The lightning demons hopped back up in the trees, and Yoko and Kurogane returned to their tree, relaxing against the tree trunk, and the twig back in Yoko's teeth.

"How many squads do you think they'll send out before they realize they've been intercepted?" Kurogane asked.

"No more than a few," Yoko said. "That's when Yusuke will take over and we move in towards the compound to finish the job."

"What about the leaders?" Kurogane asked, tail twitching.

"We'll finish them off, then go take care of your father," Yoko said. "No one will be left, and your father will be nursed back to health."

"Do you think they had anything to do with it?" Yoko looked over to the demon at his side, seeing the determination in his eyes while his face looked nonchalant.

"We will see," was all he said before silence fell between them once again.

"So you and Hitashi plotted behind my back," Kurogane stated, not even bothering to ask.

"I enjoy having a backup plan," Yoko replied, pulling out the twig. He studied it before dropping it down into the foliage below.

"When did you talk to him about this?"

"Before I went to see you." Kurogane looked over at Yoko, who grew a new twig out of the side of the tree before breaking it off and chewing on it. "I didn't want to simply leave the kingdom with no actual support, much less any way to get back up there. However, I didn't want anyone to know how soon I wanted to leave because I knew there would be quite a bit of resistance."

"Hitashi thinks like you," Kurogane chuckled. "That was why he could pretend to have this new idea at dinner without you looking too antsy to leave, giving you another set of eyes to keep on Kaori." Yoko grinned over at his companion. "You really didn't trust me with her?"

"I didn't want her to worry," Yoko answered. "She does that enough on her own."

"So I was your backup plan."

"Mhm." Silence went on for a little while before Kurogane sat back against the trunk of the tree.

"Very smart." Yoko smiled, relaxing himself and waiting for the next round of demons to dispatch.

Before long the next group approached and they were dispatched just as easily as the first. The same could be said with the following group and the two after that. When the next group arrived, Yoko was getting bored and Kurogane becoming anxious.

"They know they're not making it to their destination," Yoko said. Kurogane nodded, hardly hearing him over the storm. "They must be trying to keep us here, see what they can do to take care of us. I wouldn't be surprised if we were surrounded by now."

Kurogane agreed. He whistled, calling all of his men out of hiding and underneath them. "Everyone is accounted for," he said.

"We should move anyway," Yoko said. He opened up his communicator and in a moment saw Yusuke. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, we're set," Yusuke said. "Did they send out the big guns yet?"

"No, but I want you to move in anyway," Yoko said. "They know we're here by now. We'll meet you on the compound if we don't meet any resistance on the way."

"Right," Yusuke said, closing his communicator.

"We should start moving," Kurogane said. Some of the lightning demons took to the trees above, while others followed behind Yoko and Kurogane on foot. It only take a few minutes along the path when they heard a heavy voice chuckling.

"Well, that would explain why none of the troops have reached their destination," it said, continuing to laugh. Yoko recognized the voice, searching for Nobuo.

"Show yourself," Kurogane called, motioning for his men to step back. There was a cry out in pain as two of his men fell from the trees, dead before impact. A third landed on his feet, but was crushed by a landing Nobuo, sword thrust down through the demon's spine. Yoko took a step forward, putting the prince behind him.

"Hello, Your Highness," Nobuo said, rising to his feet. "I was just on my way to pay your family a little visit."

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Kurogane asked, tail twitching behind him in agitation.

"Join our fight to take over all three worlds, or die," Nobuo said, a sick grin growing on his face. He then looked thoughtful before he continued. "Though, I guess you could just give us that kingdom. They never really liked the idea of a fox leading them anyway. I thought it was pretty obvious when they started splitting over your daddy's illness."

Kurogane's eyes narrowed and his claws twitched. "What do you know about my father?"

"Oh, he'll be fine when this is all over. It was an idea Konajiru had, I just put it into practice out of… curiosity, let's say." Nobuo pulled out his sword, watching it slowly be washed clean in the continuing storm. "They say where there's no blood, there's no tie. Now, honestly, who not related to you actually wanted some half-breed like you to be king? Why do you think we opened our arms to you and these other outcasts?"

A lightning demon leapt from the trees, but Nobuo swatted him away, hurling him at Kurogane's feet. "Don't you ever talk about my lord in such a way," he hissed, blood seeping from his side. "We all stand with him, no matter what he is."

"Just like Koenma stands with his demon detectives," Nobuo said, not fazed by the outburst as he looked to Yoko. "He's been keeping quite a few secrets, you know. It won't be long before he tries to use you, Hiei, and Kaori the way we wanted to. At least we would have given you a piece of the pie."

"Sorry, I don't have much of a sweet tooth," Yoko said, running his fingers through his hair. "Is there anything more you wish to say to try and persuade us to join you?" Here, Nobuo let out another laugh.

"I don't care if you join us," he said. "I will have much more fun killing you. I'm only disappointed by the fact that you're here, alone in the woods, with no one to see you fall."

"You'll just have to get used to disappointment," Kurogane said. The moment he finished, a huge blast could be seen in the distance, coming from the fortress. Nobuo spun around quickly as lightning rained from the sky into one concentrated point.

"What's going on?" he roared, spinning back to see Yoko smirking.

"Don't look at us," he said. "We're just a couple of outcasts, alone in the woods." Kurogane couldn't help the snicker that broke his serious face, turning his head with a fake cough before looking straight again, though with a slight smirk on his face. If Nobuo didn't know better, he'd swear he was looking at two twin foxes, both in all black, one of them silver and the other raven, with two pairs of gold eyes challenging him.

"You'll pay for this!" Nobuo said, his energy rising before he charged at the pair. Both kitsune's dodged to the side, each pulling out a rose from their hair and catching Nobuo's arms, tugging him backwards and into the ground.

"Copy cat," Yoko muttered before jerking Nobuo towards him and breaking his arm. Kurogane tore off the flesh, and caught his whip in hand while Nobuo cried out. He pulled Yoko down from the tree he perched in, making him stumble while Nobuo charged. Yoko managed to get his footing in time to dodge Nobuo's sword, taking a nick to the front of his shirt.

Kurogane came up from behind, whip gone in favor and a shorter, electric blade, and cut into Nobuo's back, forcing him down onto the ground. Kuroganee flipped him over, watching the fear dance in Nobuo's eyes while he held the blade to his throat.

"What did you do to my father?" he asked, ears twitching in the rain.

"Reika had been working on a poison," he sputtered, looking between the blade and the cold eyes boring into his. "It's not going to kill him, just enough to weaken him, make everyone panic, you know? Make it easier to take over and all."

"And the cure?" Yoko asked. Nobuo was about to answer then paused. Kurogane growled and a bolt of lightning danced through the trees, striking beside Nobuo's head.

"Only Reika and I know the cure," he sputtered. "You let me go and I'll tell you!" Kurogane's eyes narrowed again before he slowly stood up. Screams and another blast could be heard coming from the compound.

"Go help the others," Kurogane said, waving a hand. The lightning demons around him disappeared with a crack of thunder, leaving him and Yoko alone with Nobuo, who slowly stood to his feet. "Reika went to the Human World, right?"

"Yep," Yoko said before Nobuo could answer.

"Kaori got her?"

"Yep." Here Nobuo's eyes widened and he looked slightly smug before Kurogane continued.

"Killed her?"

"No, she's alive." Now it was Kurogane's turn to look slightly smug.

"Well then, I guess we don't really need you, now do we?" he said to Nobuo. Nobuo looked panicked, backing up and turning to plead his case to Yoko, who had a twig back in his mouth. Yoko merely raise an eyebrow and Nobuo turned to flee.

In an instant he was caught up by his ankles, vines growing down his body as he was pulled higher into the trees. He cried out for mercy, begging as mouths began growing around him.

"I think we'll save him for Koenma," Yoko said, admiring his handiwork. He looked to the injured lightning demon that had attacked in Kurogane's defense. He hardly looked able to walk, but he managed to stand to his feet. "I think you should stay here. If he actually gets loose, kill him."

"Yes, sir," he said, nodding to him. Kurogane gave him a small smile, before easing him into a sitting position on a log.

"You've done well today," he said. "I will not forget this." The demon's eyes seemed to light up as Kurogane pat him on the shoulder. Yoko pulled out a salve and handed it to the thankful demon. The two then sprinted off towards the compound, arriving just in time to see the destruction.

Bodies lie everywhere, and Kurogane was thankful they were mostly the army of undertrained lackeys to the alliance. Yusuke's corpse was nowhere to be seen, much to Yoko's relief. Unfortunately, they didn't see Masahiro or Takeshi either. The storm had started to break, meaning the rainfall that had been near flooding the land was slowing to a light rain. Cracks of lightning and thunder however meant that the fighting was continuing on in the slowly decaying compound.

Suddenly, a body came crashing out the side of the building, making both kitsunes turn and get tense. Yusuke sat up, mouthing a painful 'ow' before seeing the two nearby. "Welcome to the party," he said, standing to his feet and turning back to the compound. Takeshi came outside, growling and looking a little worse for wear himself. His shirt and pants had numerous cuts, burns and bruises, and blood was dripping down one arm. Yusuke had a few bruises of his own, but Takeshi looked to have taken the brunt of it.

"You shall pay for this," Takeshi growled. Only a handful of his followers remained, coming out behind him but staying out of the fight.

"Are you alright?" Yoko asked Yusuke. He waved him off, not one to take help when he was in the middle of a fight.

"Where are the rest of my men?" Kurogane asked.

"Making a perimeter, getting the cowards who fled, and cleaning out this place," Yusuke said. "Oh, and I guess grabbing Masahiro. He's inside the building still."

"You do know what he could do to them," Yoko said, suddenly tense.

"Yeah, yeah, energy sealing wave thing," Yusuke said, almost becoming bored. "He started chanting when I first broke in, so I shot everything at him to keep him from doing it. He's not quite dead I don't think, so they're digging him out and containing him."

"Everything?" Yoko and Kurogane asked in shock. Yusuke finally turned back around to look at them.

"Well, basically, yeah. Where do you think the other half of the building went?"

"And you haven't passed out?" Kurogane asked, almost in awe.

"Can I finish my fight here?!" Yusuke half yelled. "Geez, you act like Keiko." He turned back to Takeshi just as he charged, punching him in the gut and sending him back a few steps. Yusuke held his ground and punched Takeshi in the jaw, sending him reeling back a few feet himself. An all out brawl then started, with the two punching, kicking, and even biting at each other just to draw blood.

Yoko and Kurogane watched with growing anticipation. Slowly some lightning demons began coming out of the compound and began watching the fight as well. A pair drug out Masahiro, whose hands were bound behind his back and his mouth covered over.

Eventually Yusuke and Takeshi stopped, both panting and bloody, glaring fiercely at each other. Slowly Yoko walked up behind Yusuke.

"Detective," he said, almost gently. "Perhaps I can step in and finish this for you."

"No way!" Yusuke growled out. "He's got nothing left. I can do this."

"You've done enough," Yoko said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Allow me this, so I don't feel utterly useless in this assault."

"You can't defeat me, Yoko," Takeshi growled. He held his hands together and concentrated. His energy skyrocketed and slowly he healed himself, strength returning as well.

"You're not serious," Yusuke said, falling back on his butt. "One of these days, these fights are going to be easy."

"But where's the fun in that?" Yoko said with a smirk. Yusuke chuckled himself. "May I?"

"Knock yourself out, fox-boy," Yusuke said, laying back and catching his breath. Yoko walked in front of the detective and began pacing around Takeshi.

"I've had enough of this," Takeshi said, absolutely livid. "Do you know what you've done? You've doomed the Makai to living under Spirit World's fist. You've completely sold out your kind! And for what? Because your boss told you to jump? You're nothing but a pet dog!"

"You think you would be better leaders?" Yoko said with a snarl. "You waste your time sitting in the shadows, deciding what you think is best for you without giving thought to what anyone wants. This world is ruled by the strongest, always was and always will. That's the way life works here."

"We ARE the strongest!" Takeshi roared, charging at Yoko. The latter dodged, not even bothering to throw anything back at him.

"I sure didn't see you fighting in the last tournament," Yoko said, arms crossed in front of him. Takeshi moved faster, and Yoko matched his pace. Jumping, dodging, side-stepping and sliding around his punches, kicks, and elbows.

"I could beat any of those fools!" Takeshi shouted, suddenly firing a blast of energy at Yoko. He jumped over head, eyes locked on Takeshi as he landed behind him, immediately ducking the next swing and catching the following punch.

"You can't beat me," Yoko purred, punching Takeshi once in the ribs and sending him backwards a dozen yards. "You wouldn't beat Yusuke if he stopped holding back on all his demonic energy. Hiei would have already sliced you open. Yet you think you're better than Yomi? Or Mukuro? Or King Enki?"

"How can you think you're stronger than them?" Takeshi growled, spitting out a bit of blood before charging again.

"I know I'm not stronger than Yusuke," Yoko said casually, moving out of the way. "I'm sure Mukuro may rival his strength, but I think I can still out maneuver Yomi in a fight if need be."

"Then why didn't you compete yourself in the tournament?" Takeshi growled, pouring more and more energy into his attacks. Finally he caught Yoko in the chin, the momentum pushing him back a few feet. He paused, watching Yoko, who calmly turned his head back to look at him with smirk. _Where did all of this energy come from?_ his mind screamed at him.

"I don't want to rule," Yoko said calmly. "I want to sit in my human home with my human mother and relax. I want a mate and kits running around my feet. I want to worry about my life and my own problems. I led my own band, I know the problem with leading a bunch of demons with their own agendas. I don't want that, not now. I consider myself retired, and working with the Detective a new hobby of sorts."

"So you've grown old," Takeshi spat. Yoko's eyes narrowed.

"I've grown up." With that Yoko charged, punching at Takeshi and sending him back into a defensive stance. Takeshi could only block so many shots before he himself got a shot in the jaw, sending him flying back into the ground. A root sprouted out of the ground, wrapping around his leg and hurling Takeshi into the side of the compound.

"Nice," Yusuke said with mock applause, still lying on his back. Kurogane couldn't help but chuckle. Yoko however remained serious, watching the group that didn't seem disheveled by their leaders' fall.

"So that's where your heart lies," Takeshi said, pulling himself out of the building. Now Takeshi began to chuckle, looking over to Kurogane. "You think the only portal demon left is still sitting in your precious castle?"

"What is he talking about about?" Yusuke asked, finally sitting up. One of the demons stepped up, and by folding his hands, began to form a portal.

"I saved them for this," Takeshi chuckled. "I knew you'd never join us, so I did my research on _Shuichi Minamino_. You've taken my dreams, and I'll take yours."

Before Yoko could take a step, four of the demons leapt through the portal. "No!" he shouted, running forward. Takeshi tackled him to the ground, rolling him over before Yoko eventually kicked him off. Kurogane sprinted towards the portal, while Yusuke jumped to his feet as fast as possible. Just as Kurogane got to the portal, a body flew back out and he had to duck it, stepping back hesitantly.

Two more bodies were chucked threw, charred and lifeless. All eyes were on the portal as Kaori popped through and smiled, pulling the last body along with her. "Oh, hey Kuro," she said, tossing it to the ground.

Yoko blinked, staring at her in awe while Takeshi looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. The next moment, Reika was tossed through, half conscious and bound with duct tape over her mouth.

"How?" Yoko asked slowly.

"Hm?" Kaori asked, turning and seeing Yoko, Yusuke, Takeshi, and the remains of the compound, as well as the scattered lightning demons and Masahiro. "Oh, whoa. You guys definitely had a lot more fun here."

"How did you catch them?" Takeshi asked, nearly exhausted. Kaori chuckled, looking at the bodies.

"The portal opened in Genkai's as I was getting ready to come back here," she said. "I kind of freaked out when the four of them came darting through at Yukina, so I cooked them before checking to make sure they weren't ours."

Silence fell for a few seconds and Kaori got nervous. "They weren't ours, right?" Kaori asked. There was another moment of silence before Yusuke burst into laughter, resting his hands on his knees to keep from falling over. Kurogane and Yoko sighed with a mixture of relief and unbelief.

"They were going after Kurama's human family," Kurogane said. Kaori turned and narrowed her eyes at Takeshi and the portal forming demon.

"Thank you," Yoko said, standing to his feet.

"Can I kill him?" Kaori asked, not shifting her glare.

"Not Takeshi," Yusuke said, finally straightening up. "Koenma wants them all alive."

"Can I have the other one?" Kaori asked, looking over to Yoko. He smiled and nodded slightly. In a moment she formed a small leave blade and threw it, catching the demon between the eyes and dropping him instantly. Immediately the portal closed, making Yoko relax slightly and Kaori smirk.

"Don't think you will get us to cave," Takeshi said with a growl.

"Cave?" Yusuke said, smirking himself. "He just likes berating you guys while you're alive, then sentencing you to punishment that usually involves us."

"And you are going to have to report to Enki, Yomi, and Mukuro," Yoko added. "They don't take well to others trying to step in on their ranks."

"But we need Reika," Kurogane added, looking at the girl's body.

"Yeah, she said something about the king right before the portal showed up," Kaori said, looking down as well. "How about we gather everyone up for Koenma but take her back to the castle first?"

"You won't take me!" Takeshi growled, pooling his energy and firing it Kurogane and Yoko. Yusuke jumped in front of them, index finger glowing.

"Spirit Gun!" he shouted, firing his trademark weapon. It decimated Takeshi's attack with enough force to throw him back into the woods, cracking several trees in the process. "Heh, still got it."

"Of course you do, detective," Yoko said, picking up Reika and putting her on his shoulder. "I'll leave it to you to get the rest."

"My men will help," Kurogane said. "We need to get Nobuo on the way."

"Oh yeah, forgot about him," Kaori said, leading the group back through the forest. Yoko caught her hand and pulled her against him, kissing her forehead without losing a stride.

"Glad you made it back," he said, not releasing her hand.

"Someone has to make sure Reika doesn't take over your minds," she said with a smile. "Besides, once the King is healed, we'll have to say our goodbyes and go back to your family in time to say good morning." Kaori stopped walking and suddenly looked dejected. "Oh no, your family…"

"Will not be able to resist you," Yoko said, pulling her along. "They will accept you for who you are."

"You mean who Koenma lets me pretend to be," she corrected, looking up at the sky as the rain ceased and the clouds began to part. "I don't think they could handle the tails." Yoko couldn't help but chuckle, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and a smile.

19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19

Ayame woke up to see it was already dark outside. She sat up and realized she was in 'her' room in the temple, and had been covered over. She tugged at her shirt, pulling it up to see her ribs had been bandaged over with a bit of a chill left over on the wrap. She'd have to thank Yukina later.

Ayame set her feet on the ground and stood. She was a bit tired, and slightly unsteady, but she managed to walk out of her room and into the kitchen. Yukina was just walking in from the garden and saw Ayame waving with a smile. "Oh, I didn't know you were awake!" Yukina exclaimed rather softly. "I'm sorry, do you need something?"

"Oh, no," Ayame said, putting Yukina's fears at rest. "I just woke up and realized I probably missed dinner."

"Don't worry, I saved you some," Yukina beamed. Ayame smiled back, wanting to just pick the girl up and skip with her through a field. Instead she let Yukina put her in a chair while she grabbed the plate of food and sides, sitting everything out for Ayame.

"Where'd everyone go?" Ayame asked as Yukina sat and sipped some tea. She took a minute to think before answering.

"Well, Kaori took Reika back to the Demon World, and Shigure and Masuyo are speaking to Master Genkai about a book. Kuwabara got back from helping Botan in Spirit World in case anyone else came to attack, and Mr. Hiei was here a bit ago, but I think he went back outside."

"How long ago?" Ayame asked.

"He came in and helped me get you into a room so I could wrap your bandages. He stayed a bit to keep an eye on Reika and left after dinner, once Kaori took Reika through the portal. That was a couple hours ago."

"Thank you." Ayame smiled. Yukina nodded while sipping her tea. "And thanks for wrapping my bruise."

"It was the least I could do. Just try not to put too much pressure on it and relax." Yukina smiled and stood, taking Ayame's plate and taking it straight to the sink to wash. Ayame tried to protest, but the ice maiden was having none of it, instead telling her to go out and get some fresh air. Ayame gave in, stopping by Genkai's library to grab a book before heading out.

She got as far as the back door when she heard her name. Turning around, she saw Shigure jogging up behind her.

"Um, hi," he said, stopping in front of her.

"Hey, Shigure," she said, leaning against the door. "Glad you're alright."

"Thanks to you," he said. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Oh, no," Ayame waved him off. "This was from Reika herself."

"I still shouldn't have let it happen to you," he said, taking a step closer. "I won't let it happen again."

Ayame smiled. "I know, but don't beat yourself up about it. Don't worry, this hasn't affected our friendship at all."

"Our…friendship?" Shigure seemed to be a bit taken aback, which Ayame couldn't understand in the slightest. "But you… I thought…"

Suddenly everything clicked in Ayame's mind. She could see Hiei's eyes just staring at her, Shigure thanking her for kissing him, her actually kissing him like it wasn't a big deal. "Oh," was all Ayame could say at first. "Shigure, I'm sorry. We're friends. I did what I had to in order to get your brain back. I didn't mean anything else by that kiss."

"So you and Hiei are…"

"No! No we're not anything!" Ayame said, laughing nervously and looking away. "He's…uh, I mean… It's Hiei and…" Shigure just nodded and turned, walking away. Ayame sighed, trying to figure out what to say. "Shigure, listen-"

"Just forget I said anything."

"…Sure." Ayame watched him go before finally turning and going out onto the back porch. She stood there for a moment, before sighing deeply. She had no interest in reading that book anymore, though the moon was bright enough that she probably could have read anywhere, so she left it on the chair and walked down the stairs and into the woods behind the temple.

She obviously was too sore to run, so she just walked, her mind stuck on Hiei. Did he think that she kissed Shigure because she cared about him too? That was impossible. Her kiss with Hiei was definitely a lot more emotionally driven than the one with Shigure. All she did was shove a leaf in his mouth. But Hiei didn't know that, and if he did, he probably was appalled. She was probably way too forward and turned him beyond off by taking advantage of him. He'd never talk to her again, much less hear her out.

_Hiei?_ she called in her mind.

_**What?**_

Ayame froze, breath hitching in her throat. She honestly didn't expect him to answer, and now that he did, she didn't know what to say.

_Can I talk to you?_ She asked.

_**What do you think you're doing right now?**_ She could see him rolling his eyes at her, making her narrow her eyes at the tree in front of her.

_Look, I just want to actually look at you while I talk at you. But you know what? Whatever._ She turned around to head back to the temple and froze again, seeing Hiei standing in front of her with his arms crossed.

"Um, hi," Ayame said. Hiei narrowed his eyes, jaw clenching.

"You're wasting my time," he snapped. "What do you wa-"

"You're mad at me, right?" Hiei's eyes widened a fraction and Ayame's went straight to the ground. "You're mad at me because I kissed you earlier. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you."

"Stupid onna." Ayame looked up at Hiei to see his hands at his sides, looking off towards his left. The moon was almost perfectly overhead, giving a glow to his face and the starburst in his hair. If Ayame wasn't distracted by him calling her stupid, she would have been in awe of the glow in his eyes.

"Why do you always have to put me down when I open up to you?!" Ayame yelled. "I'm trying to apologize!"

"You don't get it!" Hiei snapped, finally looking Ayame in the eye.

"Then enlighten me!" Ayame yelled back, stepping up into Hiei's face, looking down the couple inches she had on him. His fists clenched before he finally opened his mouth again.

"You're so proud of yourself, sacrificing yourself to save your friends. It must have been so hard for you to play on someone to force a plant into his mouth."

"You're right, I did what I had to do to get that plant into Shigure's mouth," Ayame conceded. "I didn't even think about that when it came to you!"

"So you just like playing with emotions then?"

"Playing with emo – look!" Ayame was nearly at the end of her rope. Her ribs started throbbing, but she didn't care anymore. "I kissed you because I wanted you to believe in me at least half as much as I believed in you! I wasn't trying to play with your emotions because you apparently don't have any! You're a jagged little rock that just enjoys cutting people when they're already hurting!"

Hiei didn't say anything, the only sign that he was listening was the slight drop in his shoulders. "Every time I think I'm getting through to you, just close up and shove me away. I may be a stupid human woman, but at least I'm man enough to admit to making a mistake! And you know what? That kiss was probably a mistake!" The words left her mouth before Ayame had even realized it. Hiei's eyes were closed, and for a moment he looked as if he was asleep, had he not been clenching his fists.

By the time Ayame's breathing was under control, Hiei's head was down and she didn't even want to hear what he had to say. "All you had to do was say was you didn't feel the same way," Ayame said softly. She walked around him, heading back to the temple. A hand caught hers and she paused, not even bothering to turn around. The hand held hers tightly, but tugged her back much more gently than she expected. Ayame took one step back until her shoulder was even with his.

"Don't leave." Ayame blinked, not believing her ears. She looked down at her left hand, feeling the heat from Hiei's thumb on the back of her hand. She hadn't even realized that she had been holding on to his hand just as tightly and let go, wrapping her arm around herself and looking away. Hiei reached up and put his hand on the side of her face, pulling her chin and eyes back to his.

They stayed like that for ages, Ayame mesmerized by the red eyes that bored into hers and the thumb that slid along her cheek. For the first time she could read an emotion on Hiei's face, and it looked to be equal parts sadness and remorse.

"Do you regret it?" Hiei asked, making Ayame come back to reality. She paused, thinking before she opened her mouth.

"Of course not," she finally said. "I mean, I'm sorry for doing that to you and you didn't want it, so I basically molested you, which means you're probably going to kill me and-" Hiei put a finger over her mouth, making Ayame stop mid sentence.

Hiei closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you still trust me?" he asked finally, opening his eyes again and removing his finger.

"Of course," Ayame said without hesitation. In a moment, Hiei's lips were on hers. He was gentle, barely holding her with his finger tips. Instantly her hands were on his chest, clinging to his shirt and pulling him closer.

Hiei nearly growled as he stepped closer, wrapping his right arm around Ayame's back and pulling her against him while his left hand slid behind her neck, deepening the kiss. Ayame gasped and nearly melted when she felt Hiei's tongue brushing against hers again. She slid her hands up to his neck, one hand toying with the base of his hair. This time Hiei did growl, nipping at her bottom lip and reminding her that she was making out with a demon, not some normal human.

Hiei finally let her catch her breath, pulling back ever so slightly and giving her room to pull away if she wanted. By the time Ayame opened her eyes, his eyes were already locked on hers, searching for something. He took a step back and Ayame stepped forward, pulling him into a hug.

"Don't run away," she said, sighing while she put her head on his shoulder. "God, I sound like some stupid chick in some stupid movie."

Hiei chuckled, holding her closer. "I just don't want this to not be real," she continued. "If you leave, I don't know if I can figure this out on my own."

"You do know I'm a demon," Hiei finally said. "I can't have one of those human relationships and I won't be someone different."

"Trust me, I didn't plan this," Ayame said, fingers once again toying with his hair. "Yeah, you're not entirely normal, and you're a jerk to me most of the time, but I can't make myself not care about you." Hiei closed his eyes, relaxing slowly at her touch. "As rough as you are, I always know you're looking out for me, and that's enough for me right now."

Hiei's left hand slid down to her back and she felt him lean against her the more she played with his scalp. She winced slightly as he brushed over her hurt rib, but the warmth from his hand eased the throbbing pain. "All I want is for you to be honest with me. I don't know what to do when you just up and disappear because suddenly you're randomly jealous of Shigure." Silence followed as Hiei's shoulders got tense again, making Ayame pause.

"I didn't want him to take you away from me," he finally said.

"What made you think he meant more to me than you?" Hiei pulled back to look at Ayame in the eye. He looked completely shocked, as if she just spoke in a different language.

"He's been eyeing you since the idiot almost got you killed," he practically growled. "And you always defend him, trying to make me see the 'good' in him. And after today? What was I supposed to think?"

"So just because I kissed him too, you thought our kiss didn't mean anything?"Ayame asked, making Hiei's eyes narrow.

"You were on top of him with your tongue down his throat," he deadpanned. Ayame chuckled nervously, realizing how bad it must have actually looked.

"My bad. Next time I'll jump on top of you and shove my tongue down your throat." Hiei rolled his eyes, pulling away finally and heading back to the temple.

"Come on," he said. "You're tired and should rest. I'm not skipping out on your training tomorrow just because you're hurt." Ayame groaned, rolling her eyes as she began following him back to the temple, content that he was at least walking next to her.

"I should get at least a bit of a break," she whined. "I mean, I did beat Shigure up with just a scabbard. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Hn."

Ayame's shoulders dropped. They walked on in silence until they cleared the forest and the temple was in view. Ayame stopped walking before she cleared the tree line, suddenly hesitant. "So, now what?" she asked quietly. Hiei paused, turning to look at her. "I mean, we're not, like, engaged or anything right? Cause I'm not ready for a leap like that. And I don't know how demon dating goes, and it would be weird to start running around saying 'I love you' and stuff and we're not _that_ close. I'd probably start gagging if we were all snuggly and-" This time Hiei silenced her with a kiss, pulling back and continuing his walk.

"I will court you how I please," he said when she finally caught up on the porch. "Snuggling and those kinds of disgusting displays are for foxes and other exhibitionists." Ayame laughed, hearing the distaste in Hiei's voice as he opened the door and walked in. The house was dark and everyone seemed to have turned in for the night, much to Ayame's relief.

"What about tackling and tongue shoving?" she asked as she shut the door behind her. Hiei turned and met her with a wicked smirk.

"I'm always on top."


	20. Loose Ends

Uuugghh... No excuse for why this took forever. I wrote some, then I got stuck... Then I wrote some more, and then I got stuck... And then I finished it! And changed the ending... And changed the ending... For some reason, my mind's been on other things. This is going to end next chapter, and while I've been debating if I want more with Kaori, I've been thinking about a Touya fic, or what it would be like if Shuichi and Yoko were actually separated. I've been checking out stories like that, and I've been playing with it in my head.

Anywho! Here is chapter 20! FINALLY! Thank you for being patient. There's a lot in here, which will hopefully make up for it taking FOREVER!

**Chapter 20**

Kaori couldn't help but smile as Pu landed in the main courtyard of the lightning kingdom. Cheers rang out and confetti, flowers, and flashes of lightning covered the sky as everyone came to the streets and leaned out windows to welcome home Kurogane and the victorious soldiers returning from the world below.

Kurogane himself looked embarrassed but thankful. The arm of the demon who fought for his honor was around his neck while he smiled and waved to his people. Yoko hopped off Pu, then took Reika from Kaori so she herself could jump off. Almost immediately Hitashi and Hitomi came out of the castle to greet the returning troops. All of the lightning demons filed into ranks, while a few doctors came and grabbed the injured men and few women who could not stand on their own.

Kurogane released his new favorite soldier in time to get nearly tackled by Hitomi. She was laughing and crying at the same time, with flowers in her hair and lei to drape over her brave, oldest brother's neck. Kurogane embraced her tightly, relieved that no fighting had to come back to his home. The moment Hitomi let him go, Hitashi pulled his brother into his own hug. Kurogane was smiling at first, but it slowly fell from his face as Hitashi whispered in his ear. Yoko's ear twitched, barely picking up the end of it.

"-don't know if we can wake him up," he said softly. "We must go to him quickly. My mother is waiting." Kurogane nodded, releasing his brother and waving to the still celebrating crowd. Yoko met Kaori's eyes and gestured to the castle. With Reika still over Yoko's shoulder, the pair of kitsunes followed the royal family inside, leaving Pu to play with a few of the children who wanted to climb up on his back.

"What happened?" Kurogane asked, walking slightly in front of everyone in the group.

"He was recovering well enough, but last night he just fell off into a deep sleep and hasn't woken up since," Hitomi said, suddenly less happy then she appeared before the crowd.

"That's probably when I fought Reika," Kaori said, thankful that she didn't actually kill the siren. The demon in question twitched, looking around and realizing that she was not in the Spirit World. Yoko's grip tightened on her making her freeze before relaxing against him again. "Apparently she and Nobuo were behind the poisoning of the king."

"If he got worse with her injuries, it's probably tied to her energy," Yoko said. The group arrived at the king's bedroom and entered immediately. The queen looked up, relieved to see Kurogane's safe return, but her glare returned when she saw the other guests with a body.

"What are you doing with her?" she asked, rising from her husband's side. Yoko dropped Reika to the ground. She winced, but the gag in her mouth muffled all noise that would have been emitted. She glared up at him while he practically ignored her.

"She poisoned him," Kurogane said, patience wearing thin. "She claims to know how to cure him, but she's a siren, which is why we need to take extra care."

"You plan to let her loose on my mate?! The ruler of this kingdom?!" the queen nearly screeched. "And what if she wants to finish the job? Did you think that maybe-"

"Don't you think I love my father?!" Kurogane shouted back. "I don't want to trust this witch, but we have to because there is no other option! If she cures him, she cures him and he can continue ruling. If she kills him, I rip her apart and the crown moves on to Hitashi."

Silence filled the room, Hitashi's eyes growing and the queen stepping back in shock. "I don't want to rule, I don't want to sit up here with you and you're backwards thinking killing my home," Kurogane continued, fists beginning to crackle. "You can either step aside and let us try to save my father, or I throw you out for attempting to stop the king from receiving treatment. Either way, when this is over, I'm leaving."

Hitomi gently put a hand on her brother's wrist, rubbing his arm until he calmed down. The queen straightened up and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. There was a long tense silence before Kurogane sighed, turning his attention to Kaori and giving her a nod. She returned the gesture before pulling a handful of seeds out of her hair, sprouting a bunch of plants for the three men to eat. When all had eaten a handful, Kaori turned and pulled the binds off of Reika's mouth.

"What did you put in him?" she asked immediately. Reika smirked.

"Well, you're not beating around the bush," she said. Kaori punched the wall next to her head, making Reika jump, glaring at her for a moment before she continued. "We took some of the serum we were using in our human growing experiments and infused some of my energy in it. The serum keeps them in a stagnant position, weakening the body so it's plumb and defenseless, making for easier harvests. With my energy, I was able to control the life of the serum so he only needed one dose."

"So how do we get it out?" Hitashi asked, trying to put his brother's words out of his head. Reika almost seemed to laugh.

"My words are powerful because they're linked with my energy," she said. "Saying the right words the right way with the right energy are what make sirens powerful. You have to bleed him while I coax out the poison, and then he will recover like anyone suffering from a little blood loss."

"We could reduce the amount of blood loss," Yoko mused. "I have a plant that would help filter out the poison and replace some of the lost blood."

"Modified death plant," Hitomi nodded. Reika managed to get to her feet and smiled, putting her hands out to Kaori.

"If you don't mind," she purred. Kaori looked to Kurogane, who nodded. Kaori burned through the binds on her hands and feet, keeping the small flame burning in her palm, should anything else occur.

"You two leave," Yoko said, turning to the two brothers. They looked shocked, and Kurogane narrowed his eyes, ready to argue. "You're too important to have in here in case anything goes wrong."

"You mean me," Reika said, rubbing her wrists. Yoko growled at her, ears flattening against his head.

"And me?" Hitomi asked.

"You can stay if you wish," Yoko said, eyes staying on Reika. Hitashi clenched a fist, looking at his father once before turning and walking out of the room. Kurogane followed closely behind, shutting the door with a soft thud.

"Well, let's get this going," Reika said with a smile. Her eyes turned to Kaori, who was still holding a small fire and she sighed. "It would help if you trusted me."

"It would help if you weren't doing your best to ruin our lives earlier," Hitomi spoke up. "We haven't met under the best of circumstances."

"Let's get this over with so we can take you to Koenma," Yoko said, popping another leaf in his mouth before pulling out a death tree seed. Reika raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever works for you," she mused, walking over to the king's beside. She put a hand on his neck, feeling his pulse and the clammy texture of his skin. Her energy grew a bit and for the first time, Kaori could feel it interlaced with the king's own. "Cut into a vein. It's best to pump cleared blood as swiftly as possible, I guess." She stepped aside as Yoko came up, allowing two tendrils from the death plant on his arm to reach into the king's arm. He set the plant on the side table, and moved away to give Reika room.

"Whenever you're ready," Hitomi said to Reika. The latter smirked, sat on the bed alongside the king and took his hand into her lap. She started humming, stroking his arm gently while avoiding while avoiding where the death plant was cycling through his blood. The other three occupants of the room were silent while she began to hum, before opening her mouth and singing.

"With a heart so full of love, you sat upon your throne.  
Always fearing, never knowing, you were going this alone.  
The strength you had inside yourself made you an easy prey  
for those looking for open hearts on those cold winter days.

"But now your strength is tested and all are waiting on you.  
Their hearts are full of love and trying to pull you through.  
While your strength is ever growing and hope is on the rise  
Your power will continue to grow to levels you can't surmise ."

Kaori couldn't believe her eyes, or what she was sensing. It was as if the king's energy tripled from the dismal levels it had been at for the duration of their stay. She could sense Reika's energy fading from his body, while the death plant started growing fuller, serum filtered out of his system. She turned to see if Hitomi and Yoko saw what she was seeing, and was taken aback by what she saw.

Her eyes fell on Hitomi first, who wasn't watching her father at all. Instead, her eyes were widely staring between Reika and Yoko, a hand covering her mouth in shock. Kaori looked over to the only other man in the room.

Yoko's eyes were glued to Reika while his body was slowly sliding down the wall. Hitomi quickly walked over as he slid to the floor, but she took a step back as his own energy spiked for a moment. A useless piece of achiote fell out of his fingers while he seemed completely gone.

Kaori took a step towards him before Reika continued singing, catching her attention.

"Your hope makes you weak and your strength useless.  
While you enjoy my love, there's something I must confess;  
Your strength will be mine, and all you long to feel  
Makes you my prey, and my very favorite meal."

Kaori watching in awe and horror as Reika suddenly changed. Her jaw seemed to unhinge, her mouth opening wide to make room for her new growing teeth, fangs tripling in length. Her skin paled to a murky green, her hair grew wildly out of control, and her eyes flashed red as a crazed grin crossed her features. Her mouth opened wide as she leaned in to bite a chunk out of the king.

"NO!" Hitomi yelled, while Kaori leaped in front of Reika. She covered the king while Reika bit down on her arm. Kaori winced while pushing Reika back to the floor. Reika let out a scream, making both girls cover their ears in pain. She jumped up again, swatting at Kaori with her now elongated claws. She managed to dodge, kicking her in the stomach and crawling back towards the bed to protect the king. Reika growled, annoyed that she could no longer get to her target.

Her eyes fell to Hitomi, who had paused in her attempts to rouse Yoko. A snarl left Reika's lips as she jumped. Kaori moved to try and stop her, but Hitomi stood to face her attacker head on. She charged up her right fist, and when Reika opened her mouth and lunged, she swung at her with all she had.

Reika bit down as Hitomi let go of her energy, hurling the siren backwards and into the wall clear across the room. Yoko blinked, turning and looking over at Reika, whose countenance had returned to normal, save the blood coming out the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were wide and horrified, while her hands were clutched around her throat. She opened her mouth to let out a wail, but no sound came out.

Yoko blinked again, standing and trying to get his bearings. Hitomi was just to his right, staring coldly at Reika with her hand still charged in front of her. "What happened?" he asked, making the lightning hybrid beside him jump and look at him with surprise.

"You're ok!" she exclaimed.

"You're ok," Kaori said with a small smile, clutching her wrist and holding her arm still at her side.

"You're all ok," the king sighed, sitting up straighter in his bed. All of the occupants in the room turned and stared at him, Kaori stepping away from the side of the bed she had been leaning on.

"Your Highness!" she said, trying to bow. "How are you feeling? Are you ok? Did it work?"

"Daddy!" Hitomi exclaimed, diving on him with a hug that he caught easily, the next sign that he was much stronger than he was just a few minutes before.

"I'm fine," he said, pulling his daughter close. His gaze travelled from Kaori to Yoko, and finally to Reika on the floor. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he looked back to the door, the sound of running coming to his ears.

Kurogane burst through the door first, looking frantically around the room. "Hitomi!?" he asked panicked as Hitashi pushed his way in as well, both freezing when they saw their sister crying in their father's arms. Kaori walked over towards Yoko and smiled at the pair, gesturing for them to come in.

"What happened?" Hitashi asked slowly, hesitantly walking towards the bed.

"Reika strengthened your father before trying to betray us," Kaori said.

"I felt Hitomi's energy," Kurogane said, opting to lean back against the wall.

"She fried her vocal chords," Kaori said while looking back at the siren. She was in tears still on the floor, hands clenched around her throat. "You shouldn't have to worry about her anymore. Would you mind securing her until we can take her back to Spirit World?"

"That would be no trouble at all," the king said. He lifted Hitomi off of him, swinging his feet to the side of the bed and standing on his own power. His sons immediately rushed to his sides and he enveloped all three of his children in a warm embrace.

Kaori fought back a few tears as she smiled at the family. She nodded to Yoko and the pair left, grabbing a few guards to send in to get Reika. They walked in silence to Kaori's room. Yoko opened the door for her and she went in, sitting on the bed and finally looking at the bite marks and blood running down her right arm.

"She got me good," Kaori said as Yoko went into her bathroom. It took him a minute but he returned with a wet towel, bowl of water, and some alcohol. He knelt in front of her and began washing off her arm, gently running his fingers along it to find the bite marks.

"Sorry I wasn't more helpful," Yoko muttered, putting some alcohol on her arm and pulling a leaf out of his hair to rub on the wounds.

"Don't worry about it so much," Kaori said, petting his head with her left hand. "I didn't expect you to be able to do much, because she does have those mind control powers. Besides, Hitomi and I did pretty alright."

"Yes, I guess you did," Yoko mused, pausing to relax as Kaori's fingers began rubbing one of his ears.

"Besides, I'll heal up pretty fine on my own, so you just relax and enjoy this victory." Kaori pulled her right hand out of his grasp and began to rub his other ear. Yoko's eyes drifted close and his lips parted while Kaori continued. "We have to go back to the Human World soon, so I won't be able to do this as much I guess, especially with your family being back…" her hands slowed a bit and Yoko whined, resting his chin on her lap.

"Don't stop," he pleaded, nuzzling against her legs. Kaori let out a chuckle and continued play with his ears, smiling at his contented sigh.

"I think you'll miss this more than I will."

"Yeah, right." The hands stopped moving. "I mean, you're right?"

"That's what I thought you said," Kaori giggled. Yoko looked up to her with a smile on his face, standing and pulling her to her feet before kissing her deeply. He pulled back and looked into his kitsune's eyes while she smiled up at him. "You know, you're ridiculously tall. I kind of miss your human side."

Yoko chuckled, hoisting her up with a squeak, before walking to the head of her bed and laying her in it. "If I was too large for you, all you had to do was say so," he purred as he lay down beside her. Kaori's face turned crimson as she swatted him away.

"Don't say it like that!" she shrieked.

"Why not?"

"It sounds dirty!"

"I talk too dirty for you?"

"STOP!" Kaori swatted him again, rolling over and crossing her arms while he simply laughed, pulling her back against him and nuzzling into her neck.

"But you're so adorable when you blush," he purred, watching the goose bumps as his breath tickled her neck. "You have to understand. I won't be in this form much longer, and I want to see it with my own eyes." Here he kissed her shoulder, smirking at the shiver that went down her back.

"S-sorry," she managed to whisper. Yoko kissed along the side of her neck and she had to bite her lip from saying anything more. One of his hands had slid down to her hips, drawing small circles along her thigh. He was glad she was still in the shorts she had on the night before, revealing so much of her legs to him.

"All is forgiven," he said, gently nipping at the junction between her neck and her shoulder. She let out a soft moan and her tails began twitching against his leg, making him continue.

"Yoko…" His name dripped deliciously off her lips.

"Hm?"

"Stop." He froze in practical disbelief at her while she rolled onto her back to look him in the eyes. "I… I can't. Not right now." The disappointment was all over his face, especially in his eyes.

"You love Shuichi more." Kaori shook her head quickly, pulling him into an embrace.

"I love all of you, both sides of you, equally and completely," she said. "I just… I don't want to do that right now. Not until everything's settled with Koenma and your family doesn't hate me."

"They don't hate you," he answered, resting his head on her chest. "They can't hate you. And if they could, I don't care. They're humans who know nothing about-"

"Oh hush," Kaori interrupted, poking him on the nose. "They're your family and you love them just as much as Shuichi does, and you want your mother happy just as much as you want me to be happy. And I will be happy when everything is out in the open." There was silence in the room as Yoko suddenly became very tense.

"Not everything," he said. Kaori giggled nervously.

"Well, obviously not everything, but at least our relationship. Our declassified story anyway." She went back to rubbing one of Yoko's ears, making his shoulders relax slightly. "After that, I'll be all yours. You and Shuichi can figure out how to split up your time, but I will love you both completely. Promise."

Yoko sighed contentedly against her, tightening his grip on her before relaxing and drifting off to sleep. Kaori sighed, opting to stay up for a while and enjoy one of the few nights they shared together without one of them being on the brink of death.

20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Ayame walked into the temple with a yawn, gently rubbing her side. Hiei had gotten her up just before dawn and, much to her surprise, was a bit more lenient in training. While he still made her run the stairs and spar with him, he completely avoided her weak side and let her stop before noon.

Yusuke was snoring loudly on the couch in the main room, and she smiled, assuming he got in late after taking the bad guys to Spirit World for Koenma to sort out. As she strolled into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Masuyo sitting at the table and sipping on a cup of tea, the large book from the night before sitting on the table before her.

"Hey," Ayame said, making the other woman look up and smile.

"Good morning, Ayame," she said. "I'm glad you're feeling better. You look like you should get some more rest though." Ayame chuckled, waving the woman off while grabbing a bottle of water.

"Nah, that's just Hiei tiring me out," she said. Masuyo raised an eyebrow and she blushed a bit before Ayame realized what she said. "Training! He had me training this morning! Just the training!" Masuyo nodded in understanding, while Ayame died a little on the inside, completely and utterly embarrassed.

"Do you know when the others will be back?" Masuyo asked when Ayame managed to calm down.

"Um, well, they have that Reika lady to take back to Koenma's, and they have to sort out this mess with Hitashi and Kurogane."

"They'll probably both go to jail." Both women turned to see Shigure walk in and head to the fridge, grabbing some fruit for breakfast. "One's a criminal and the other broke said criminal out of jail."

"They'll fit right in." All eyes turned to Hiei who stood calmly in the doorway, wiping off his sword before sheathing it, looking up to the eyes that were on him and raising an eyebrow. Suddenly Yusuke leaned through the doorway, smiling and leaning on Hiei's shoulder before continuing. "Nothing like a little probation to bring everyone's favorite delinquents together!"

"That must be why I haven't killed you yet," Hiei growled.

"Wait," Ayame interrupted, relatively hopeful. "If you guys didn't get locked up forever, there's a chance Koenma will just let them go, right? I mean, they did help save the worlds."

"Yeah, but good luck getting Koenma to ignore another break in at Spirit World," Yusuke said, ignoring the growling fire demon he was still leaning on.

"Well, it's not like Spirit World was completely innocent in their kingdoms situation," Masuyo said, fingering through the book. "His father is the reason for their isolation, the negativity shown to their race, and for instigating quite of few of the attacks on their original home."

"Seriously?" Shigure asked, looking over his sister's shoulder.

"And finally he learns demons aren't the only ones with a thirst for blood," Hiei mumbled, pushing off the detective and glaring at him as he fell to the ground.

"So what do we do?" Masuyo asked. "I mean, if we can't trust Spirit World to do right by these two, besides the fact that they're heirs to the throne of this kingdom, do we just stand by and pretend nothing happened?"

"It's not like there's anything we can do," Shigure said.

"We can at least support them," Ayame said, putting her bottle down with a little more force than she planned. "We can't just leave them hanging."

"That's why they're all going to come here," Yusuke said, finally getting up off the floor. "Koenma and Hitashi can negotiate the terms of whatever peace they decide to, and it'll be on relatively neutral territory."

"Except not really because you're all opposed to Koenma's punishment," Shigure pointed out. Yusuke and Ayame chuckled nervously while Hiei rolled his eyes, looking out the window.

"They're here," he said, eyes narrowing as he saw Kaori, red-headed Kurama, and Reika making their way up the stairs, followed by Hitashi and Kurogane. Ayame let out a squeal and ran to the back door, pulling up open and waving. Kaori let out her own small shriek of delight and hugged her best friend, relieved to see she was much better than the night before.

"Hey there, guys," Yusuke waved. "Come on in, we'll be expecting Koenma shortly." A loud 'pu' was heard before the spirit beast landed on the porch, sticking his head in the doorway and nuzzling against Yusuke. "Yeah, yeah, I missed you too. Get in here! You're blocking the door!"

With a chuckle, Kurama led the princes and the final conspirator into the temple and towards the main room. Reika's head remained bowed as she was led into an adjourning room with Pu serving as watchdog. Everyone else sat around the room and waited for Koenma's arrival. Yukina and Genkai entered with a pot of tea for the new arrivals, with Kuwabara following the ice maiden around as if he had no other care in the world.

"Do you think it's ok having Reika here?" Masuyo asked. "I mean, she is a siren."

"Whoa, wait, what?" Kuwabara asked, looking to the next room. "Like, sing some pretty songs and eat people? Don't we need to put wax in our ears or something?"

"She's not going to eat us," Yusuke said, picking his ear. "Besides, you'd taste horrible. How often do you bathe?"

"What was that?!" Kuwabara shouted, much to Hiei's chagrin.

"Will you sit down and shut up already?" he snapped. "If we were in any danger we wouldn't be sitting here."

"Yeah, we totally got this covered," Yusuke said.

"Actually, Hitomi took care of everything," Kurama said with a smile, sitting down his cup of tea.

"She totally burned out her vocal chords," Kaori said. "You don't have anything to worry about. I don't think she even wants to take over anymore."

"Which is a relief to all of us," Hitashi added. "I do wish to thank all of you for the roles you played in saving our kingdom and the whole demon plane."

"Don't worry, it's what we do," Kuwabara said, puffing out his chest.

"You didn't _do_ anything," Hiei sighed, the boredom evident in his voice.

"Can it, shrimp!" Kuwabara shot back. "Don't make me come over there!"

"I'm shaking in my boots."

"I'm sure you are! They're too big for your stupid little feet!"

"How'd you like one shoved up-"

"Hello!" Botan said, dramatically stepping into the room with a smile. It faltered when she saw the tenseness in the room, all eyes suddenly turning to her. "Eh, Koenma and I have arrived?"

"Thanks for the introduction," Koenma said, walking in calmly in his teenage form. He looked around the room, nodding to his detectives. Every was sitting, standing or sitting around the room on chairs and couches, save Hiei who was by the open door, staring out at the trees, bored already. Koenma strolled to the center of the room and sat on one of the cushions. Hitashi, who had also been standing, walked over and sat across from Koenma, his brother off to his left, and Kaori on his right, facing Koenma with a smile.

"Let's get this over with," Yusuke said, leaning back in his seat. "What's the deal? Do they get to go home or do they have to do some community service?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Koenma said.

"That hasn't stopped us from making arrangements in the past," Kurama said. There was a calm, somewhat knowing smile on his face, but his eyes were full of barely concealed amusement. "Usually, the more complicated the problem, the simpler the solution."

"Wasn't Kurogane pretty close to 'time served' anyway?" Kuwabara asked.

"Well, yes," Botan said thoughtfully. "But escapes definitely tack on some extra time."

"Which I am willing to serve," Kurogane said calmly.

"And I appreciate that fact," Koenma started.

"Though he was more 'kidnap victim' than 'escapee' in this case," Hitashi interrupted. "I bear the responsibility and the punishment. As I promised, the heir was returned and I am willing to submit to whatever you deem necessary. Besides, our father's health has been restored."

"That's great to hear," Koenma said.

"Yes, and he wishes to talk to you," Kurogane added. "Yusuke, your communicator, if you don't mind." The detective pulled out his communicator and tossed it over to Kurogane, who handed it down to Kaori.

"I left mine with the King to make this conference a bit easier," Kurama said as Kaori called up the latest addition to their group. She turned it around and faced it towards Hitashi and Koenma, who still couldn't believe it.

"Hello, Prince Koenma," the ruler pronounced. "I am Ishio, King of the Lightning Kingdom, and father to the two demons before you."

"Hello, your highness," Koenma said, bowing his head with respect. "It's good to see that you are well. I'm sure you've been filled in on the situation."

"Yes, I know what's been going on, thank you," he replied before letting out a chuckle. "It's nice to see that you have everything under control now. Last time I saw you, things were a bit… out of control." Koenma let out a small chuckle of his own.

"That was a while ago, and yes, I got things under control." he said.

"Time out!" Yusuke interrupted, raising his hand. "Why are you two being so friendly if you're trying to lock his sons up?"

"Maybe it's because I'm not trying to lock his sons up," Koenma said, tilting his chin up with a bit of pride.

"Then why did we all have to come here for this little intervention?!" Yusuke countered, eye twitching. "You've been trying to keep them both in-"

"I really wish you let me say what I had to say before you all assumed I was trying to harm their line," Koenma sighed.

"Then get on with it already!" Ayame said, crossing her arms with a huff. The room was silent for a moment and she averted her eyes from the now staring group. She did manage to catch a snicker from Hiei and Kaori's raised eyebrow.

"I'm sure it was not easy for Koenma to be sure of the current situation," King Ishio said.

"Correct," Koenma said. "For one, I had no idea if Kurogane was the actual heir or a rogue lightning demon. I haven't seen Ishio since before any of you were born."

"Really?" Kaori said, eyebrow raised. Koenma sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, other than Kurama I guess," he went on, ignoring the smug look on said kitsune's face. "The point is, when Hitashi showed up, claiming to be an heir and informed us of the king's illness, there was no way that I could trust them without sending you all in to make sure everything they claimed was true."

"How does that affect their sentencing?" Shigure asked.

"King Ishio and I have an agreement of sorts," Koenma explained. "I never really agreed with my father's total isolation and near extermination of their race. They were given a handful of 'get out of jail free' cards, so to say, in exchange for doing odd things for me in Spirit World, to ensure they'd be treated justly by any SDF who were enforcing the area."

"Had I known Kurogane was in your charge, I would have contacted you at once and given you our situation," Ishio said, his voice genuinely apologetic.

"Don't worry, it's all been taken care of," Koenma said, nodding to the other ruler.

"…What?" the room chorused, save Hiei and Genkai, who merely raised their eyebrows.

"Kurogane was being officially released, so the break out isn't on record, since he was not technically a prisoner."

"Then why did you put them through so much when you were just going to let them go?" Kaori asked.

"Had they not been who they claimed to be, they would not have gotten off so easily," Koenma said. He looked to the two heirs and bowed slightly. "I was doing my best to protect your father as well. I just had to be sure."

"Got a wonderful way of showing your concern," Yusuke mumbled. However, Kurogane and Hitashi bowed their own heads, accepting Koenma's apology without much complaint.

"Is there anything we can do to thank you for the help you and your detectives have bestowed upon us?" Hitashi asked, genuinely pleased.

"Oh don't worry, they were just doing their jobs," Koenma said, waving him off. He paused for a moment, then looked to Ishio, who already had a knowing chuckle.

"Fret not, Koenma. I will send a shipment of our desserts to your office within the week," he said.

"Wait, what?" Ayame asked, looking to the others.

"Those were delicious," Kaori said, eyes beginning to glaze slightly. Kurama laughed while Yusuke zoned out in a similar fashion.

"I want some desserts!" Kuwabara whined.

"You didn't _do_ anything," Hiei hissed. Kuwabara narrowed his eyes, pouting while Hiei matched his look, daring him to speak up.

"Well," Koenma said, standing with a smile. "Looks like we're all done here. I'll be taking Reika back to Spirit World to be processed. Thank you all for everything you've done."

"It'd be nice if we got a reward," Yusuke grumbled. "I'm tired of all this 'satisfaction with saving the world' crap."

"You have our eternal gratitude," Ishio said with a smile of his own. "You will forever be welcomed to our kingdom. If there's anything you'd ever need, do not hesitate to call."

"Thank you," Kurama said with a respectful bow. With a nod, the communicator was turned off, Kurogane returning it to Yusuke.

"We shall take our leave now," he said, rising with his brother in tow. Everyone else stood, saying their farewells to the princes as they made their leave. When they came to Yusuke, he gave Kurogane a fist pound and pulled Hitashi into a man-hug, making Kurama chuckle. He shook both of their hands, giving Kurogane a genuine smile as they left the same way they came in, a crackle of thunder in their wake.

"Now what?" Kuwabara asked, turning back to his friends.

"You can all get out of my house for one," Genkai grumbled, settling herself back down to continue sipping on her tea.

"Can't wait till you're old _and_ senile," Yusuke grumbled.

"And I'll still beat you down every time," she said with a grin. Masuyo and Shigure bowed to the master, while everyone else said their variety of goodbyes. Yusuke eventually drug Kuwabara away from Yukina, much to Hiei's relief, as the gang made their way down Genkai's flight of stairs and the siblings headed through the woods to their own abode.

"…Now what?" Kuwabara asked, watching the pair leave. Yusuke pounded him on the back of his head, eye twitching.

"We can get lunch and quiz Ayame on her new relationship," Kaori said with an evil grin. Ayame turned beat read, waving her hands in front of her face.

"Or we could not do that please!" she begged, looking around for support.

"You have training to finish anyway," Hiei said calmly. "You can do your human quizzing on your own time."

"Yes!" Ayame cheered while Kaori pouted. "You're the best, Hiei!"

"You're running back into town," he said with a smirk. Ayame deadpanned while Yusuke and Kuwabara burst into laughter. Hiei cast them a sideways glance before shrugging. "You two could join her. I'm sure her stamina far surpasses your own. You could use the exercise."

"Are you calling us fat?!" Kuwabara shouted at the smaller demon. "I could outlast you anytime, anyplace!" This made Hiei smirk and Ayame turn an even deeper shade of red, especially at Kurama's raised eyebrow.

"Go!" Kaori shouted. With that, Hiei disappeared, the two humans and Mazoku not far behind him. Kaori and Kurama chuckled, starting the walk back to the train station. Kaori couldn't help be smile at the moment of peace, leaning into Kurama's shoulder as they walked. Within a few hours, they would be back at his home, facing his mother and stepfather. But for now, everything was calm and perfect.

She wished the train would never arrive.


	21. Home Again

Hello, friends!

Of course it takes until the end of the World - which didn't happen, btw - for me to finally update. I should've planned this... great idea... Anyway, this is the last chapter of Lost, and probably the end for Kaori. I may write something else with her eventually, but I've got other stuff in my mind I wanna play with, like that Touya fic I've been hinting at.

Thank you everyone for sticking with this story/trilogy/me for so long. I do appreciate all of the reviews, hits, favs and follows. Can't make any promises about if/when new stuff will be showing up on here, but do know that I wasn't hit by a meteor and zombies have not reached my front door.

Of course, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, and please leave a Review.

**Chapter 21**

Kaori just stared at the house. Kurama didn't notice her pause until he was a few paces in front of her. She was just… looking at it, full of dread and gloom and worry. The grip on her bag looked as if it a vice had clamped on the fabric and had been sealed. Her eyes were soft and she was trembling slightly, her lower lip caught in her teeth. She hadn't looked so defeated since they first met her.

He almost didn't recognize her.

"Kaori?" he questioned gently. She looked to him – practically startled at his presence – before looking back at the house and taking a step away from it.

"I can just go live with Ayame," she said softly. "That way, they won't have to deal with me, and I can still go to school with you and-"

"Kaori." Kurama turned to face her, taking her free hand in his and slowly uncurling the fist she had been holding at her side. "At least give it a chance. Besides, Koenma ordered you to stay with me, didn't he?"

"Then he should be here explaining that to them," she pleaded. "We should've told them I was an exchange student. Oh! A transfer with you assigned for my live in tutor! It's not your fault that they made me live in your house!"

Kurama let out a sigh. "I thought you wanted to get everything out in the open."

"Your stepdad hates me."

"He does not. Also, he's not even home."

"…what?" Kaori was almost dumbfounded. "But… humans are always home." Kurama almost let out a laugh, smiling instead.

"He works in a building downtown. He'll be there until just before dinner. And Shuuichi's at school, much like we would be if we didn't have work to do in the Demon World."

"Also, ours was on fire," Kaori added, taking a deep breath. "So we can do this one at a time?"

Kurama squeezed her hand in reassurance. "My mother with love you."

Before Kaori could change her mind, he pulled her gently towards the front door. He easily pulled out his house key and opened the door, grabbing Kaori's hand before she could dart away. "Mother! I'm home!" he called, slipping off his shoes and setting his own bag down by the door. Kaori mirrored his actions, holding her breath as she heard movement in the kitchen.

"Welcome back, Shuichi dear!" His mother called before leaning around the doorframe. Her eyes landed on Kaori before she visibly brightened. "Oh! You came back! I was so worried!"

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Minamino," Kaori said with a bow.

"A pleasure to see you again, Kaori dear," Shiori replied with a smile. "I can't leave the stove at the moment, but you two are welcome to join me in here if you'd like."

"Of course," Kurama said, smiling at his mother. He nudged Kaori forward and the two entered the kitchen, sitting at the table while Shiori continued to work on dinner at the counter. She paused a moment, turning to look at the young woman next to her son, and for a moment she looked concerned.

"I'm sorry Kaori, I should've asked you if you had any food allergies or anything before I made you dinner too," she said. Kaori blinked, looking between Shiori and Kurama, who seemed not nearly as surprised as Kaori was.

"Um, no, whatever you make is fine," she said. "I mean, I didn't want to intrude-"

"Nonsense!" Shiori said, turning back to the stove. "I'm sure Shuichi has an explanation. He never does things on a whim, and if he felt you living here was the best course of action, then I will stand by his decision until a better choice for you would arise."

"You're not… mad?" Kaori asked, tentatively. Shiori turned around to face her, an almost sad smile on her face.

"I will admit, I was a bit surprised by you suddenly being here," she said. "But after Shuichi told us about what happened to your parents, I couldn't be upset with you for needing somewhere to go." She walked over and set her hand on Kaori's. "You're a lovely young lady, who's been dealt a bad hand. You will be forever welcomed in my home and as a part of this family. Don't you ever think that you can't come to me for fear of rejection, Kaori. Unless you'd rather be somewhere else, this will be your home too now."

Kaori stared at this woman, tears filling her eyes as Shiori wiped away her own stray tear. Kaori stood quickly and pulled the older woman into a hug, crying into her shoulder while Shiori held her close. Kurama couldn't help the small smile that was growing on his own face. While he had expected his mother to be much more forgiving, he didn't expect her to accept Kaori so quickly and wholeheartedly.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Minamino," Kaori said, pulling back quite reluctantly. "You are the sweetest woman I've ever met since my own mother."

"Don't you fret over it, Kaori," Shiori said with a smile. "Now go clean yourself up. Little Shuuichi will be home soon and we can't have him thinking something else terrible happened." Kaori nodded, smiling brilliantly at the woman in front of her. She headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the bathroom to wash her face, leaving the two Minaminos alone. Kurama stood and pulled his mother into an embrace and kissed her on her forehead.

"Thank you, mother," he said quietly, reveling in the calmness he always felt from her presence.

"I'm sure you thought this through," she said, taking the time to pull out any tangles only a mother would find in her son's hair. "I'm trusting you to take care of her."

"Of course, mother."

"You would have the most beautiful children."

Kurama pulled back abruptly, taken aback at his mother and the grin she had on her face. "Mother! Are you only allowing her to stay here in the hope that we'll give you grandchildren?" Shiori laughed, waving him off and turning back to the cooking.

"Of course not dear! She's a sweet girl and you said yourself she had nowhere else to go. I'm sure you will have beautiful children soon enough. I would just like to get to know her a little better is all."

Kurama was completely in shock. He had expected this from his little brother before his mother. "We're still in high school, mother! Then there's University to think about and-"

"Oh, you don't need more schooling. You're already so bright. Your stepfather would love to have you at his company once you graduate. You'll be more than ready to start a family in a couple years."

If Kurama's mouth could open any wider, it would have. Shiori either did not see her son's surprise, or completely ignored it while she continued to prepare dinner, smile permanently placed on her face for the rest of the evening, while her son was stuck sputtering.

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Kaori had to admit, while she felt much better than when they first headed back to Shuichi's house – her new permanent home – she was still nervous at dinner. Younger Shuuichi seemed neither surprised nor bothered by the decision to let her stay. He asked her questions about where she came from, and luckily Koenma's cover didn't need to be altered too much for it to be believable.

She described a location very similar to Genkai's land, claiming it to be outside Mushiori City, making it far enough away to be not directly known, yet close enough that her meeting with Kurama and 'that punk Yusuke' didn't seem too impossible.

The only one who seemed to be slightly bothered was Kazuya. Apparently Shiori had made this decision on her own, and while he agreed that it was probably for the best, he was slightly sore about being left out of the decision making process.

"I heard that your school has been repaired enough for classes to resume this week," Kazuya said. Kaori nodded, chewing her food and swallowing before responding verbally.

"We were told that the semester won't have to be extended," she said, looking towards the older man for the first time of the meal. He nodded, keeping his focus on the meal and not on her. Young Shuuichi, however, had been sneaking glances at her and Kurama continually.

"Wish I got to take a break like that," Shuuichi mumbled. This made Kurama chuckle and Shiori shake her head.

"You were on vacation for almost a month," he reminded his little brother.

"Well yeah, but I was still doing work," Shuuichi muttered. Kaori giggled at him, catching his eye again. "So what's it like being in classes with my brother? Is he as boring in school as he is at home?"

Kurama gave a half hearted glare, while Kaori and Shiori both laughed. "He's not that boring," Kaori said. "Sure, he's a nerd, but what do you expect? His brain is huge. What do you think is under all that hair?" Shuuichi nearly choked on his drink when Kurama's glare shifted to Kaori, who continued to sip as if nothing had happened.

"That was great!" he laughed. Even Kazuya was a bit taken aback, while Shiori covered her continuing laughter with a napkin over her mouth.

"I'm surprised Shuichi has finally opened up enough to allow a girl to get close to him," Shiori smiled. "My son has always shied away from a lot of the girls at his school."

"Mother," Kurama sighed.

"I believe it," Kaori said for him. "Some of them are on the crazy side. I'm surprised he's as sane as he is, being surrounded by so many fans all the time." There was a moment of silence at the table, when Kaori noticed Kurama's very, very slight flinch.

_They don't know about the fan club?!_ Kaori's mind raced.

"Fans?" Kazuya asked. Kaori's eyes grew slightly.

"What kind of fans?" Shiori asked. Kaori's eyes became as large as saucers while Kurama's head dropped ever so slightly.

"Oh…" she trailed off. "I didn't… um… He has many admirers?" Kaori tried, looking between three shocked faces. "He's the smartest kid in school, he's such a gentleman, and, well, attractive. Many of the girls have crushes on him."

"But all he does is sit and read!" Shuuichi said.

"I am not a recluse," Kurama spoke up. Shuuichi turned up his nose at his older brother, making Kurama sigh again and rub the bridge of his nose. "A hermit, Shuuichi."

"It's nice to know I did a good job making you amicable," Shiori smiled. Kurama couldn't help but smile at his mother. "I'm also glad that those 'admirers' didn't drive you away, Kaori. You're such a lovely young lady. I couldn't imagine Shuichi finding anyone else. You make a lovely addition to our family." Kaori smiled warmly as well, a slight blush on her cheeks while Kurama's face fell. Again.

"You have a wonderful son, Shiori," Kaori said. "Your whole family is beautiful. I'm sure it's just a matter of time in your household until young Shuuichi starts getting admirers of his own." Here the younger brother blushed, and Kazuya couldn't help the slightly prideful smile from crossing his face.

Shiori giggled, almost like a high school girl yourself. "You're so sweet," she said. "I'm sure you've been rubbing off on my Shuichi while we've been gone. Your home will be even more lovely, I'm sure." Kurama looked up to his mother, seeing the wheels turning in her head. Luckily, he wasn't the only one.

"Oh relax, Shiori," Kazuya chuckled. "It's not like they're engaged yet."

"Only a matter of time, Kazuya dear," Shiori smiled, clasping her hands in front of her and watching the blushes grow.

"Patience, mother," Kurama said, only adding to the woman's mirth. "We do need to get out of high school first. Then, we will see what happens."

"Just don't make me wait too long for grandchildren, Shuichi," Shiori said. Kaori nearly choked on her drink, coughing and sputtering for a moment before looking between Shiori and Kurama.

"Gross," Shuuichi said, setting his fork down. "Good thing I'm done eating."

"We'll clear the table," Kurama said, standing and taking his mother's plate as well as his own. Kaori stood as well, taking Kazuya's and the younger Shuuichi's. She followed Kurama into the kitchen, and cornered him by the sink.

"She wants grandchildren?" Kaori asked in a loud whisper. Kurama sighed and nodded. "Does she want them with _tails?!"_

"We will have to deal with that when the time comes," Kurama said, taking Kaori's hand.

"Does Koenma have a charm I can wear to make me have a normal human pregnancy?" Kaori asked next. "And what about at the hospital? I can't have a _litter_ in a _human _hospital!"

"There is always Genkai's. And by then… by then, hopefully all will be well enough that we don't need to keep it a secret from my mother." Kaori looked at him in surprise for a moment.

"You'll tell her about Yoko?" She asked. Kurama sighed and nodded, looking back towards the dining room. Apparently his brother hadn't completed all of his homework for the next day, and his parents were too distracted in lecturing him to notice their absence much.

"I have been lying to her for my entire life, keeping a wall up between us to keep her safe when my time came to take leave of this world." His eyes returned to Kaori's, holding them still. "I'm not quite ready to fill her in on all of my exploits, but she will one day have to learn the truth. If I want to raise our kits in the Makai, then we need to explain why we're leaving. If we raise them here, she'll find out the truth eventually, and I'd rather it came from me instead of some frazzled doctor."

Kaori smiled at Kurama, pulling him into an embrace. "I'm glad you're alright with sharing yourself with your mother," she said into his chest. He chuckled, the rumble going through his body into hers.

"As I've previously stated, I am not a recluse."

Kaori giggled, nodding into his chest. "I'm glad your mother at least likes me enough that she things I'm worthy to have her human grand-ooooh goodness do you want human children?! I can't have – they'd be half I guess if we were in these forms but – what are we gonna do?!" Kaori pulled back, looking at a pair of green eyes framed by red hair. Kurama chuckled, rubbing a hand down Kaori's arm.

"I would never ask you to try and pretend to be completely human, or be a surrogate for human children," he said. "We will have kits, because we are kitsunes. If we are still in this world, they will have to pretend as we do, but they will be able to freely go to the Demon World if they wish, as we will, if you wish."

"Ok." Kaori nodded, biting her bottom lip in thought. Kurama caught her chin and made her look back into his eyes.

"However, we are too young to be worrying about reproducing." She couldn't help but smirk and raise an eyebrow.

"I dunno, you're-"

"Kaori, I am not old," Kurama interrupted, eyes narrowing at her. She giggled, drawing a small circle on his chest.

"Of _course _not, Shuichi," Kaori purred. Kurama couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. He pulled her into a kiss, holding her against him tightly. She practically melted into the kiss, relaxing completely for the first time all night.

They heard a chair slide out from the table and instantly separated, Kaori immediately turning to the sink and cleaning the plates while Kurama grabbed the garbage and prepared to take it out. He turned, feigning surprise at seeing his mother at the door, but he couldn't help but pause at the slight disappointment on her face. "What is it, mother?" he asked, setting the garbage down again.

"Oh, nothing dear," she said, giving him a smile, walking over and getting the kitchen door for him. Kurama picked up the garbage again and kissed his mother on the forehead before taking it out to the street. Shiori turned her attention to Kaori by the sink, who was humming a song and setting the now-cleaned plates on the counter to be dried. "Kaori?"

"Hm?" the girl replied, looking up to Shiori. She had a serious look on her face, so Kaori sat down the sponge. "What's wrong?"

"You're in love with my son," Shiori said. Kaori baulked, and Shiori back-pedaled. "Sorry, that isn't the problem. I haven't met many of his female friends, and he never looked at any the way he's looked at you. I know you're special and I wish you every happiness with him."

"Thank you, Mrs. Minamino," Kaori said with a slight bow. Shiori looked behind her to the door, thought about it for a moment, and then shut and locked it, making Kaori raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, he can go around to the front," Shiori said, leaning against the door for good measure. "The thing is… I've always felt that there was more to my son than he would let on." A knowing look crossed Kaori's face, and she leaned against the counter, giving Shiori's concerns her full attention. Both women heard an attempt to open the door, but Shiori completely ignored it. "He's very private, as I'm sure you've noticed. It's been difficult for me to always figure out what really go through his mind, but it's as if he burdens himself with other concerns that he doesn't share with anyone else. But you two love each other, and he cares for you more than I've seen him care for anyone else. I don't know what he's always so concerned about, but I know he trusts you, and I know you can help him through it, whatever it is."

"You're worried about him," Kaori said, smiling at Shiori's nod and the knocking she heard on the door. "I can't tell you everything that's going through your son's mind, but I can guarantee that I'll keep an eye on him."

Here she walked up to the older woman and took her hands into her own palms. "I know Shuichi worries for you, and only wants you to be happy," she continued. "He loves you even more than he shows, and he shows it quite often. I'm sure that one day he will open up to you and me with what burdens him, but for now, he's taking care of everything he needs to take care of to ensure your happiness."

Shiori smiled, giving Kaori's hands a squeeze. "Thank you." Kaori smiled back.

Both women jumped when the knocking turned to a not so gentle pounding. "Kaori!" a distinct voice called from outside. Shiori flashed the young girl another smile, holding a finger up to her lips before silently running back towards the living room. She paused, giving Kaori a wink over her shoulder before going through the doorway.

Kaori took a deep breath before opening the door. She smiled at Kurama, who simply looked at her, arms folded across his chest. "Kaori," he repeated, but she put up a hand to stop him.

"Your mother and I were having a very important, private conversation," she said, crossing her own arms. "I just opened the door. I have nothing to do with how it got locked."

"What's bothering her?" Kurama asked, looking towards the living room.

"You not being completely open with her." At this, Kurama sighed for the umpteenth time of the evening. "Hey, don't be sad. We already talked about this. You'll tell her about you when you're ready. Don't try and rush it."

Kurama nodded. "I just want her to be happy," he began. Kaori put a finger to his lips to silence him.

"She _is_ happy. You're her son. She doesn't want any more from you." Kaori smiled. "Everything else will fall into place in due time."

"You're right," Kurama said, adding another sigh. Kaori poked him in the ribs, making him twitch.

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right. Who else keeps you from going crazy? Definitely not Hiei." Kurama laughed, pulling Kaori against him in a tight embrace. She relaxed against him, taking a deep breath and letting out her own, contented sigh.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Kurama pulled back just enough to catch Kaori's lips in a kiss. She returned the favor, a hand sliding up to hold his cheek and keep him from pulling away, not that he wanted to. Kurama felt all of the weight of the past few weeks melting off of him as he savored the moment with Kaori, fingers tangling in her hair as he let himself go.

This was what Shiori saw as she peeked back into the kitchen, a small grin on her face as she managed to catch her son having at least one tender moment in his life. _My darling Shuichi is human after all,_ she thought, turning back to the dining room and letting them have their privacy. She hardly reached the living room before the grin was an uncontrollable smile pulling at her cheeks. She sat down in her chair and picked up a book she had been meaning to finish, smile still in place.

_I'm going to have to most beautiful grandchildren!_


End file.
